Some 570 Cambodians fall ill after eating contaminated snacks

លោកស្រី កែ សុវណ្ណរតន៍ តំណាងរាស្រ្តមណ្ឌលសៀមរាប និងជា ប្រធានគណៈកម្មការទី៨ នៃរដ្ឋសភា, លោក ដាំ សិទ្ធិ តំណាងរាស្រ្ត មណ្ឌលភ្នំពេញ បានសួរសុខទុក្ខប្រជាពលរដ្ឋដែលពុលនំបុ័ង កាលពីថ្ងៃទីី២៧ ខែមីនា ឆ្នាំ២០១៥ នៅមណ្ឌលសុខភាពពង្រលើ។29/3/15 - ILCHN

Sick children receive intravenous injections at a health center in Siem Reap province, Cambodia, March 28, 2015. Approximately 570 Cambodian people, mostly children, in northwestern Cambodia's Siem Reap province, got sick after eating bread filled with meat and vegetables on Saturday afternoon, a provincial health chief confirmed. 

PHNOM PENH (Xinhua) -- Approximately 570 Cambodian people, mostly children, in northwestern Cambodia's Siem Reap province got sick after eating bread filled with meat and vegetables on Saturday afternoon, a provincial health chief confirmed.

The incident took place at Chhi Kreng district when NGO World Vision hosted an event for school children and distributed loaves of bread filled with meat and vegetables to each of participants, said Kros Sarath, chief of Siem Reap Provincial Health Department.

"About 570 people, most of them were children, got dizzy and vomited after eating the contaminated bread," he told Xinhua over telephone. 

"According to a preliminary conclusion, it was suspected that the vegetables, especially cucumbers, which were put in the bread, were contaminated with insecticide as a result of failure to properly clean."

He said the provincial health staff arrived at the scene soon after the incident and provided on-site intravenous injections to those ill-fated people.

"No one is in serious condition, and about 30 percent of them have recovered and returned home," he said.

Checks on food are rare in Cambodia, where safety regulations are lax.

In January, about 25 school children in southern Cambodia's Takeo province got sick after eating fried rice at a food stall near the school, and in October last year, around 283 people, mostly children and females, suffered diarrhea and vomiting after having traditional noodle soup at an engagement party in central Kampong Thom province.