Students at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand have been struck by a large-scale outbreak of suspected food poisoning that caused significant disruption across two university residences.
Over 100 students reported common food poisoning symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea, with the issues seemingly stemming from a catered chicken souvlakia dinner served on Sunday evening.
Students living in University Hall and Ilam Apartments began feeling unwell on Sunday night. Descriptions from affected students paint a dire picture – many woke in the night with severe stomach pain, rushing to toilet facilities only to find long lines of fellow students in similar states of distress.
Unable to make it to the bathrooms in time, many students were seen vomiting from their balconies and leaving a mess of bodily fluids on the building windows. One anonymous student told local media that she had used the toilet over a dozen times on Monday morning, later soiling herself at the university library as the restrooms were already occupied.
Another student reported being so ill she was unable to sleep after eating the dinner. The ordeal has had significant impacts on students’ academic lives as well, with some abandoning exams midway due to their urgent need to keep using the bathroom. Others were too unwell to attend their scheduled assessments at all.
“It was very hard to focus, all I could think about was making sure nothing came out,” one student told The New Zealand Herald.”
The university has confirmed it is working with the national public health service to investigate the cause of the outbreak. Affected students have been offered support measures such as electrolytes, bottled water, and packaged meals.
The University of Canterbury Student Association, which provides catering to the halls, is also collaborating closely with the university to understand and address the situation. However, the cause of the illness has not yet been determined.
In a statement, the operator of the student housing and dining facilities acknowledged the incident and said it was offering support to the impacted students. The university has advised that students unable to sit exams due to the illness can apply for special consideration and may be offered a chance to resit the assessments in the coming weeks.
Commenting on this article, one national food poisoning lawyer said, “This incident is an important reminder of the potential dangers of serving large numbers of people, where the impact of lapses in food safety is greatly increased.”
