SUPHAN BURI: At least 65 children were diagnosed with rotavirus after joining a foam party celebrating the Songkran festival in Muang district.
The children were taken to Chao Phraya Yommarat Hospital and other private hospitals for treatment of diarrhoea, upset stomach, high fever, vomiting and rashes. Some were discharged while others remain under care.
They came down with the symptoms after joining a Songkran event at the Banana Conservation Centre in Suphan Buri, where a water tunnel and foam party had been arranged.
Local MP Sorachud Suchitta and Dr Rattapon Wetsoranasutee of the provincial public health office visited the children on Saturday at Chao Phraya Yommarat Hospital, where some of them have been treated since Wednesday.
Dr Rattapon said stool tests found that the children had contracted the rotavirus. None were critically ill but the public health office had arranged for a medical team to monitor their condition.
Mr Sorachud said the virus might have originated in the water used at the event. Authorities are waiting for test results to see if the water was contaminated. “No one wanted the situation to turn out like this; it was meant to be a safe space for children,” he added.
Kanokporn Prommuang, the mother of a 10-year-old girl, said she took her two daughters to the foam party on Wednesday, but decided to take them home when they developed rashes on their legs. She took her daughters to hospital at 4am as their symptoms flared up; one was admitted.
The mother of another patient said her daughter had diarrhoea after the party. She said the water used at the event had a strong and muddy odour.
Parents of children who have been discharged have been advised to take them back to hospital if their conditions do not improve.