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Dr Gérald Kierzek (Medical Director of Doctissimo)
Discomfort, vomiting, itching… The symptoms of children at a primary school in Fère-Champenoise (Marne) worried parents and health authorities. What could be the causes? Dr Gérald Kierzek, emergency doctor, puts forward plausible hypotheses.
Symptoms that still persisted at the start of the week
The first children’s illnesses occurred on May 30, at the Fère-Champenoise primary school, in the Marne department. In total, 21 children and one adult were taken “nauseaof the headache and stomach aches and tingling in the throat” on the 800 meter journey covered on foot by these children, between the school and the canteen.
Two children and the adult in question had to be hospitalized. The following day, around twenty other children showed the same symptoms. Currently, only one child remains in hospital, without his condition being considered worrying.
The hypothesis of food poisoning in the establishment’s canteen was immediately ruled out, as not all of the affected children had eaten there. A time advanced, the theory of carbon monoxide poisoning is now ruled out by the prefecture.
Indeed, the mayor of the town explained that measurements made it possible to detect “high doses” of carbon monoxide in students when they left school. Before returning to this explanation the next day.
The hypotheses of Dr Gérald Kierzek
Questioned, Dr. Gérald Kierzek tells us the procedure to follow. “In the case of collective symptoms, one must always think about thefood poisoning collective and conduct a food survey” explains the doctor. “Here, this hypothesis seems to be ruled out. The second theory to immediately think about as well is carbon monoxide poisoning. Again, that’s not it, these two hypotheses have been eliminated” sums up the doctor.
What can we imagine then? “This could simply be viral contamination such as gastroenteritis. Another hypothesis considered and thecollective hysteriawhich is also called collective psychosis or mass psychogenic illness, with a step-by-step contamination of ‘subjective’ symptoms linked to anxiety. concludes the doctor.