In the light of the rising food poisoning incidents, the Gauteng Department of Health (GDoH) has called for all sectors of society including parents and caregivers to play a role in protecting and safe guarding children from the risk of food poisoning.
This comes after 41 children between the ages of 3 to 5 years were admitted at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital following a food poisoning incident, while another 10 individuals which include two (2) children were referred to Thelle Mogoerane Regional Hospital, from Ramokonopi Community Health Centre. Both these incidents took place on Monday, 15 April 2024.
The 41 children had allegedly consumed rat poison mistaking it for candy (sweets). This goes to emphasise the importance of harmful objects being kept away from children as stated in the packaging of many of these products. It is also important to ensure that pesticides (insect poison) or rodenticides (rat poison) are applied in a manner that will not contaminate food items as it can result in poisoning and adverse health outcomes for people. 
The GDoH will continue to work tirelessly to address  food safety concerns through advocacy and provide the necessary support and resources to communities in order to prevent further incidents. 
Public health mobilisation teams continue to drive educational campaigns in communities particularly in the townships, informal settlements, and hostels to educate communities about the dangers of food borne diseases and empower them with food safety tips such as food handling, preparation, storage, the importance of checking food expiry labels and hand washing before handling food. 
The two incidents bring the total number of the food borne incidents recorded cumulatively in Gauteng to 863 with 11 lives lost since the first incident in October 2023. 
Symptoms of food poisoning include fever, chills, cramping, nausea, vomiting or diarrhoea which may be bloody in some cases, stomach-aches, sudden swelling face, and body aches/ weakness. It is important that those experiencing these symptoms immediately seek medical attention.