Students having their elementary school farewell party in Karangasem had to rush to seek medical attention on Friday after consuming some bad nasi bungkus, or rice bundles.
A total of 18 students from North Duda Public Elementary School 2 in Selat, Karangasem got hit with food poisoning, complaining of nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and fever.
The common denominator amongst the students was eating nasi bungkus that contained eggs, noodles, chicken, and tofu. Nasi bungkus is often used to feed large groups of people in Indonesia, with wrappings of rice and other various side dishes bundled up. The food is typically prepared in large batches, in advance, so it’s possible the nasi bungkus could have been sitting out at room temperature for quite some time.
Fortunately, already 15 of the 18 students have been discharged, but the remaining three are still in Puskesmas, a government public health clinic.
Selat Police Chief I Made Sudartawan says police weren’t able to get ahold of samples of the food suspected of triggering the mass food poisoning.
“Officers only checked the witnesses and asked for the doctor’s report. It’s suspected that 18 students ate food contaminated with substances that caused food poisoning,” Sudartawan told Tribun Bali on Monday.
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