'Bug in cakes' poisons 300 children

Nearly 300 preschool children in a Belgrade suburb have fallen sick after consuming salmonella-contaminated food at their nursery schools, medical authorities said today.

The Belgrade Health Care Institute said 53 children have been admitted to hospital since Friday out of 279 who showed symptoms of salmonella poisoning. Also sick were 28 nursery school employees, the institute said. None was in a life-threatening condition.

Several day care centres in the Belgrade area of Zemun were hit by the sickness. The food in all the centres was prepared in a central kitchen, and the children were probably poisoned after eating cream cakes made of fresh eggs that contained salmonella, doctors at the institute said.

The symptoms of salmonella poisoning – caused by a bacterium sometimes present in raw meat, eggs, dairy products and seafood – include diarrhoea, fever and abdominal cramps.

Local media reported that parents of the poisoned children are planning to take the matter to the courts.