14 children have come down with vomiting and diarrhoea after eating a catered lunch at a PAP Community Foundation (PCF) Sparkletots kindergarten, Channel NewsAsia (CNA) reported.

The incident happened at Block 45, Toa Payoh East on Feb. 1, with the affected children aged between three and six years old.

Quoting PCF's manager of corporate affairs Samuel Ng, CNA reported that so far, two children were diagnosed with food poisoning, one child was ill with "suspected food poisoning" while three more had been diagnosed with stomach flu. 

Channel 8 News added that some parents also took their children to a clinic for medical treatment.

CNA reported that as of the morning of Saturday, Feb. 2, no child was hospitalised yet.

Catered lunch was served to around 40 children

Both CNA and Channel 8 News reported that the centre has been providing catered lunch for its children since Nov. 15, 2018, when its in-house cook resigned.

Ng reportedly confirmed that around 40 children were served a catered lunch at 11:15am on Friday, Feb. 1.

But at 3:30pm, 14 of the children who had eaten the lunch began throwing up and experiencing diarrhoea.

A parent quoted by Channel 8 News said the symptoms had emerged during afternoon tea, while her child was eating white bread with milk.

Channel 8 News highlighted that the centre then gave a plastic bag to each child to let them vomit, and contacted their parents.

Another parent who came to pick up his child at five in the evening, told Channel 8 News that he witnessed the following scene:

"When I opened the entrance, I saw many children sitting on the floor, with every one of them holding a plastic bag to vomit into. The teacher was also anxious to comfort them. This gave us a huge shock. In the face of such problems, there is no emergency plan for the school. An ambulance or doctor should have been called. There may be different methods, but it should have been treated immediately."

The parent added that his child had also vomited thrice by that point.

Taken for injection

Channel 8 News further reported that three of the children were taken to a family clinic near the school where they were given injections and medication.

The clinic's doctor, one Song Yuwei, was quoted as stating that while the children had been diagnosed with food poisoning and had vomited three to five times, most of their cases were not serious as there were no signs of dehydration.

Ng confirmed to CNA that the centre is monitoring the situation and keeping in close contact with the children's parents.

The matter has also been reported to the Early Childhood Development Agency and the Ministry of Health.

Here's hoping the affected children will recover soon.

Top image collage screenshot from Google Maps and Skoolpedia