About 1, 000 people in South Korea are affected by food poisoning brought on by norovirus-contaminated cabbage.
Authorities in Namwon City, in the south-west of the nation, announced on Friday night that 996 cases had been confirmed, despite reports that the number had climbed to 1, 024 by first Saturday evening.
Authorities claimed that the well-known soured cabbage meal had been distributed to sick students in the area through regular school foods.
They added that patients with diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pains included students and staff from 24 colleges.
Norovirus is quite spreadable, and it can be found on contaminated surfaces like toilet flush handlens and from people who have already been infected.
Most people recover without going to the hospital, but some do so quickly.
After the first event was reported the day before, Namwon City officials said on Wednesday that an clinical investigation was launched to find the cause of the disease.
Since next, the number of cases grew speedily- rising from 153 on Wednesday to 745 on Thursday.
In a social media post on Thursday, the state’s Mayor, Choi Kyung- sik, said that heath officials had adopted a “pre- emptive and increased response” in an attempt to avoid further spread of the illness.
” We will ensure the safety of our people”, he added.
Norovirus was discovered in some of the kimchi that schools frequently deliver, according to city officials, among patients and environmental samples.
In response, its crisis and health department had briefly suspended the production and sale of any items from the company that produced the kimchi. It is also in the process of deliberately recalling products that have already been distributed.
The company that made the cabbage has not yet been given a formal name.