Last week at least 23 children from two primary schools in Voorburg fell ill after a visit to the playground. According to a “worried parent and neighbor of grandpa’s field”, they had intense stomach and intestinal complaints, such as abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea. There could be a connection with the playground visit. The poop bacterium can be in sand and surface water.
‘Do not take a risk’
The municipality of Leidschendam-Voorburg says that it is not yet clear that the children have fallen ill and whether there is indeed a relationship with the playground. “Of course we don’t want to take any risks with the health of children,” the municipality said. That is why the GGD takes samples and the water playground and the drinking water tap in the playground are temporarily closed off in the playground.
Waterbedrijf Dunea manages the tapping point for drinking water on the site. That company has already taken samples and expects the outcome within a few days. According to a spokeswoman, the water play equipment is supplied with water by operating a pump to be operated that inflates groundwater. That is emphatically not drinking water. The management of this device and the pump lies with the municipality.
The Dunea spokeswoman says he has learned that thirty children have fallen ill. It is not yet clear when the outcome of the GGD sampling comes.