Seoul City: "Countermeasures Will Be Established After Identifying the Cause"
Dozens of students at a middle school in Gangdong-gu, Seoul, experienced abdominal pain and diarrhea after drinking tap water, prompting health authorities to launch an investigation.
According to Yonhap News on June 19, more than 30 students at Middle School A in Gangdong-gu, Seoul, showed symptoms of waterborne illnesses such as diarrhea and abdominal pain after drinking water from the Arisu drinking fountain on campus on June 16. In response, the school distributed an epidemiological questionnaire to all 430 students the previous day, and so far, no additional cases have been identified.
Health authorities conducted an epidemiological survey of the students who developed symptoms. Investigations are also underway into the Arisu water system and related equipment at School A. The results of the investigation are expected in two months. Currently, students are drinking water they brought from home, and water needed for meal preparation is being supplied to the school via water trucks.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government, which manages Arisu, explained in a statement, "It is presumed that some turbid water entered the school's water supply system during ongoing maintenance work on long-used water distribution pipes near Middle School A."
The statement continued, "It has been confirmed that some students drank water from the drinking fountain on the morning of the incident," adding, "However, to determine the exact cause, the Gangdong-gu Public Health Center is conducting an epidemiological investigation." The city also said, "Samples collected on site are being analyzed in detail by the Seoul Institute of Health and Environment," and added, "We will identify the exact cause based on the results of the epidemiological investigation and sample analysis, and then establish the necessary countermeasures."
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