Picture for illustrative purposes only. ARCHIVE

Parents at an Abu Dhabi private school are concerned after dozens of students became ill in the final week of September. They reported that approximately 70 Sunrise English Private School children had diarrhea and vomiting. Parents claimed that the infection was caused by poor school hygiene. However, school officials said that 45 children had become ill due to sharing food or other items and practicing poor hand hygiene. Inspectors sent by the emirate's private school regulator discovered that the school took immediate steps to sanitize and disinfect all facilities. Following complaints, Abu Dhabi's Department of Education and Knowledge intervened. "A number of health-related incidents among pupils were identified by health authorities and reported to Adek," a representative said. According to Adek, the inspectors discovered that the school was well-prepared and took immediate action. According to the school principal, Thakur Mulchandani, the school handled the situation with the assistance of Adek and health officials. Mulchandani said he asked parents to ensure their children practiced good hand hygiene and didn't share food or personal items. The school authorities said pupils were given bottled water after they turned off water coolers on September 28 and had the water tank cleaned by professionals on the same day. "We took immediate measures to fully sanitize and disinfect all our facilities. We are still monitoring the situation closely and sanitizing as a precautionary measure," Mulchandani said. "Hygiene was not the issue; maybe sharing of food could be the reason because these children were not drinking the school water." He also stated that the school sent a water sample for testing and received a clean report. BKM/ Expat Media
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