BRITS are among dozens of high school students who have been struck down by diarrhoea at a popular French ski resort.
Holidaymakers from the UK, Canada, Belgium and France – most of them teenagers – had to be evacuated and confined to a sports centre in La Plagne.
A severe bout of food poisoning is believed to be the culprit, but the source of the illness is currently unknown.
At the latest count, 409 children, 30 accompanying adults and 70 staff members at the school are under quarantine.
Nearly 100 of the children have reported symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea, as well as several teachers.
Twenty firefighters and doctors have been mobilised to deal with the fallout.
A nasty gastroenteritis virus that has apparently spread through the holiday camp since Monday, but it is not the first that has taken hold this season.
“There were 250 cases of illness across the entire centre last week, with vomiting and stomach aches,” say Elisabeth and Aurélie, two leaders of a sports trip for a Parisian high school.
“We called the Regional Health Agency (ARS) to find out if our arrival on Monday was in jeopardy.
“They told us they had sent a cleaning team to [the centre] but couldn’t verify if it had been implemented.
“We know it’s not food-related, but it might be in the pipes or the carpets in the rooms… some children are on IV drips because they are dehydrated.
“Forty-six out of 126 are sick, but we know that number will increase throughout the day.”
The teachers added that on a January trip to the ski town, another 15 students had fallen ill.
“These are trips to the biggest resorts in the world that all the kids look forward to and some of whom have never skied in their lives,” says Steve, a sports teacher at the high school.
“Now everything is ruined.”
With questions being asked of the regional hierarchy, a investigation has been launched.
“We already had an alert this winter, and we carried out checks on all the water systems to see if any bacteria were circulating,” explains town mayor, Jean-Luc Boch.
“And that wasn’t the case. According to initial findings, today’s incident appears to be a severe case of gastroenteritis spreading among the children.
“We are awaiting a response from the Regional Health Agency (ARS).
“We will have to make a decision, and we want to avoid a lockdown and the closure of the building.”
An emergency meeting scheduled for this evening will determine whether the sports centre will need to remain closed or if the high school party can be sent home.
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