Dozens of Shenzhen students simultaneously became ill after eating lunch in their high school cafeteria when close to 60 students showed symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea at the Baihe (Lily) Foreign Language School in Longgang District.

Parents were called to pick up their children immediately from school and classes have been cancelled for the next couple of days in order to identify the source of the illness and disinfect the school.

The original report doesn’t say which day this happened, but it appears to be very recent. While it seems like the illness may be related to food, an unnamed director at the school said it’s too early to say:

The relation (of the outbreak) to food is not very likely. Why do I say this? Yesterday, the majority of those affected are male students, whereas affected female students are relatively fewer while the third year students are completely unaffected. Students from year one to three all use the same kitchen and eat the same food.

The Shenzhen Center for Disease Control is investigating the incident. It has taken samples of food and water from the school for testing.

Photos: DV on the Scene