Forty-two pupils from a rural primary school and a pre-school
boy in south China are recovering after suffering food poisoning
caused by wild fruit, said a hospital source on Tuesday.
The local government said the children in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region suffered
nausea and dizziness after eating the fruit on Monday afternoon and
all were taken to hospital.
All school children are from Shuichong Primary School in Hepu
County's Shankou Township and the younger boy was in a safe
condition on Tuesday.
Test results showed they were poisoned by the fruit of the
jatropha curcal, a shrub that is used to produce biological diesel
oil and mainly distributed in south China.
The fruit of the plant is poisonous and can cause dizziness,
vomiting, diarrhea or shock.
An emergency safety campaign was launched by all primary and
middle schools in the county to avoid a recurrence of such
incidents, said Wang Yi, deputy head of the county.
(Xinhua News Agency November 22, 2006)