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More than 20 Russian children have been poisoned at a cadet school in the Moscow region, sparking a criminal investigation.
Medical help was sought by 22 children at the cadet school in Lukhovitsy, in Moscow, and of this figure, 19 were hospitalized, Russian state-run news agency Tass cited the press service of the regional Ministry of Health as saying.
Russia's Investigative Committee said it has opened a criminal investigation into the mass poisoning of the children. The committee added that the preliminary cause was rotavirus infection, a gastrointestinal infection that mostly affects children, local online publication Lukhovitskiye Vesti reported.
An investigation has been launched "regarding the provision of services that do not meet the requirements of life and health safety, which resulted in the mass poisoning of children in one of the Lukhovitsy schools," the investigative committee said.
Newsweek has contacted Russia's Foreign Ministry for comment via email.
Lukhovitskiye Vesti reported that four of the children were in serious condition and were taken to an infectious diseases hospital. The committee's investigation will involve interrogating the school management and children, the outlet said.
The news outlet added that the children attend the Orel Cadet School, which trains future sailors.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), rotavirus commonly causes severe, watery diarrhea and vomiting in infants and young children. It may cause dehydration and require hospitalization, and can even lead to death.
Symptoms typically begin two days after a person is exposed to rotavirus, and vomiting and watery diarrhea can last three to eight days. Infection occurs when rotavirus particles enter the mouth, for example after placing unwashed hands that are contaminated with poop into your mouth, touching contaminated objects or surfaces and then putting your fingers in your mouth, or eating contaminated food, the CDC notes.
There is no specific medicine to treat rotavirus infection, but its symptoms can be treated.
The press service of the regional Ministry of Health said that all children had been provided with the necessary medical care.
In June, 60 cadets of the Ural Law Institute in Yekaterinburg, Russia's fourth-largest city, were poisoned, local news outlet URA.RU reported at the time.
"Symptoms of poisoning were detected in 60 people, 47 of them sought medical help," the publication reported, citing a source in local emergency services.
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About the writer
Isabel van Brugen is a Newsweek Reporter based in Kuala Lumpur. Her focus is reporting on the Russia-Ukraine war. Isabel ... Read more