Investigation into 'Mass Food Poisoning' at Ansan Kindergarten Intensifies... Cause and Responsibility Under Police Review

Police Launch Full Investigation into Ansan Kindergarten Food Poisoning Incident
Coordinating Summons Schedule for Related Parties... Director to be Investigated After Next Month 2
Evidence Secured Through Search and Seizure Previous Day... CCTV and Meal Records
114 Suspected Cases and 58 Confirmed Cases of Enterohemorrhagic E. coli Infection
16 Patients Showing Symptoms Suspected of Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome, Known as 'Hamburger Disease'

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-yoon] The police are accelerating their investigation to identify the infection route and responsibility by conducting a search and seizure of Kindergarten A in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, where a mass food poisoning incident occurred. The investigation of the kindergarten's person in charge, the director, is expected to take place as early as next week.

The Ansan Sangnok Police Station is coordinating the summons schedules of kindergarten officials while confirming several suspicious routes related to the incident. So far, only the director, Mr. B, who is the person in charge, has been booked without detention. Mr. B has also been confirmed to have hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) caused by enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli infection and is currently under self-quarantine. He has informed the police that he will undergo investigation after his self-quarantine ends on the 2nd of next month. The police plan to comprehensively review the investigation details and the materials secured through the search and seizure before deciding on the disposition of Mr. B and other related individuals.

The police sent five investigators to Kindergarten A the day before and conducted a search and seizure for about two hours. They secured and are analyzing most of the materials, including CCTV footage inside the kindergarten and ledgers containing records related to meals. The secured materials reportedly include meal details around the 12th, the date when the first symptomatic case appeared. Since the kindergarten agreed to submit the materials, the search and seizure were conducted in the form of voluntary submission without a warrant. Earlier, seven parents of Kindergarten A students filed a complaint with the Ansan Sangnok Police Station on the 28th, requesting an investigation into Director B on charges including violation of the Food Sanitation Act.

Since the first child showed symptoms of food poisoning on the 12th, additional confirmed cases have surged, but the cause of the outbreak has not been identified for over two weeks. Health authorities examined samples from preserved food, cooking utensils, and supplies stored in the kindergarten, as well as the possibility of infection during the children's learning activities, but the enterohemorrhagic E. coli causative bacteria were not found anywhere.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Some parents suspect that some menu items, such as snacks that the kindergarten did not preserve as retained food, might have contained the food poisoning bacteria. Kindergarten A stated that some menu items, including snacks outside of regular meals, were not kept as retained food. According to the Food Sanitation Act, collective meal facilities are required to keep food ingredients served for meals for 144 hours.

The city of Ansan, which is investigating the cause of the food poisoning incident, also announced the day before that it secured a statement from the kindergarten's cook that some retained foods were not stored because there was no leftover food. Among the menu items not preserved as retained food, it was confirmed that regular meal items such as malva soup (Auk Doenjang-guk) and burdock root side dish (Ueongchae Jorim) were included in addition to the previously known snacks. Since there are suspicions of intentional concealment, the police plan to focus their investigation on this part as well.

Meanwhile, as of the day before, one additional family member of a child was confirmed positive, bringing the cumulative number of confirmed enterohemorrhagic E. coli infection cases to 58. The number of symptomatic individuals is 114 (111 children and 3 family members). The number of suspected hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) patients, also known as "hamburger disease," increased by one to 16 (14 children and 2 family members). Four patients are receiving dialysis treatment. Kindergarten A remains closed until the 8th of next month.

Hemolytic uremic syndrome is a complication of enterohemorrhagic E. coli infection. It began to be called "hamburger disease" in 1982 in the United States when dozens of children were collectively infected after consuming hamburgers with undercooked patties. Enterohemorrhagic E. coli infection occurs mainly from consuming undercooked meat or unpasteurized dairy products, in addition to hamburgers.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.