Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Pupil’s death prompts ban on candies
A GRADE 2 pupil of the Langtad Elementary School in Naga, Cebu reportedly died from food poisoning days after eating a piece of candy.
Poinsettia Musa Nietes, 8, died last Monday dawn, hours after she was rushed to the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) in Cebu City for vomiting.
The school’s guidance counselor, Gemma Castillo, yesterday told Sun.Star Cebu that an autopsy confirmed poisoning as the cause of death.
Her death prompted teaching staff to prohibit their pupils from buying candies and other foodstuff outside the school.
According to Castillo, Nietes and a male cousin reportedly bought three candies from one of the vendors outside the school last week.
Castillo said that the girl’s mother, Racheliza, also confirmed that her daughter had eaten a piece of candy at home, but they could no longer retrieve the wrapper, so they can’t confirm the brand or where it was made.
Last Nov. 27, Castillo said, Nietes went to school but she was feverish and kept resting her head on her desk. But the girl no longer had fever when she attended her classes the next day.
Castillo said the school had no classes on Thursday and Friday because they participated in a math contest in Balamban town.
They were stunned to learn that Nietes died around 1 a.m. last Monday while being treated at the VSMMC.
School principal Maguinda Bartoloba will call for a meeting today to come up with measures that would prevent the pupils from buying food outside.
With the assistance of the Lagtad barangay officials, the school will also identify the vendor responsible for peddling imported candies from China. (GC)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (December 5, 2007 issue)
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