SINGAPORE – A three-day camp for all Secondary 1 students from Northbrooks Secondary School in Yishun was cut short on Feb 29 when 26 students and a teacher fell ill after eating food provided at the camp.

As at March 1, 27 people from the school were reported to have developed gastroenteritis, the Singapore Food Agency and Ministry of Health (MOH) said in a joint reply to The Straits Times’ queries on March 4.

Gastroenteritis is commonly known as stomach flu and its symptoms include nausea, vomiting and stomach pain.

No one was hospitalised, the two agencies said, adding that they are investigating the incident.

In a letter sent at about 12.50pm on Feb 29 through Parents Gateway, an app for schools to contact parents, Northbrooks said some students showed “gastroenteritis symptoms” during its Sec 1 cohort camp.

A total of 246 students participated in the camp, which was supposed to run from Feb 28 to March 1.

The letter, from the school’s principal, Mr David Lau, informed parents that students would be dismissed on Feb 29 at 1.30pm, and they would “rest at home” on March 1.

The letter said the decision was made in consultation with the Ministry of Education (MOE) and MOH to “prevent the potential spread of the situation, and to ensure the well-being of everyone involved in our camp programme”.

“In addition, the school is implementing sanitisation and cleaning procedures according to MOH’s guidelines and protocols to minimise the risk of further transmission,” it added.

One parent, who wanted to be known only as Mrs Chan, 38, said she received a call at about 10.30pm on Feb 28 from a teacher who asked her to pick up her daughter from the school because she felt nauseous and had severe stomach pains.

Mrs Chan, a housewife, rushed to the school at about 11pm that night, where she saw a student leaving with a parent, and another student who seemed to be dry heaving or vomiting while lying on the ground.

When she arrived at the pick-up point in the canteen, there were at least five students with plastic bags in their hands, she said. Some rested their heads on the tables, while others lay down on the benches.

She added that her daughter was sitting away from the rest because she was nauseated by the sound of other students vomiting.

It took Mrs Chan and her 12-year-old daughter about half an hour to walk from the canteen to the gate to take a taxi home because she “puked every five minutes” and “had no energy left in her”.

“When she asked for support because she could barely walk, I felt upset about it,” she said. “It was heartbreaking.”

Mrs Chan said her daughter could not drink water because she struggled to swallow, and she continued to vomit after they reached home at about midnight.

Her daughter felt better the next day, Mrs Chan said, and did not need to see a doctor. A teacher also called to check in on her in the morning.

“The teachers did their best. They called almost immediately after my daughter fell sick. I don’t blame anyone. Just bad luck, I believe,” she said.

In the evening on Feb 29, an MOH surveillance submission form and a container to collect a stool sample were delivered to their home. Prior to that, Mrs Chan had filled up an online form from MOH with questions about what her daughter ate, when she fell ill and more.

According to messages sent to a WhatsApp chat group with parents of Sec 1 students, students were given catered meals that included fried rice, chicken and scrambled eggs during lunch and dinner, as well as marble cake for supper.

Based on the camp schedule seen by ST, students participated in activities such as trekking at the Southern Ridges, dragon boating at Kallang and orienteering at Yishun Park. There were one-hour slots for breakfast, lunch, dinner and a night snack throughout the day.

A 47-year-old parent, who wanted to be known only as Mr T, said he was worried when he saw messages streaming into the WhatsApp chat group on the morning of Feb 29 from parents whose children fell ill the previous day. There are more than 90 individuals – comprising parents and school employees – in the chat group.

He added that he could not contact his 12-year-old son because students did not have their phones with them for the duration of the camp. Their phones were with their teachers for safe-keeping.

Mr T, who is self-employed, said his son did not fall ill, but he is “quite furious” that the school has not provided updates – as at March 4 – about the situation and did not tell parents how many students were affected.