Le Figaro Nantes
It's the cheese's fault. Rises in fever, vomiting, diarrhea - and even hospitalization due to dehydration: the start of spring was not easy for the children attending schools in La Chevrolière, about ten kilometers south of Nantes. In total, 24 schoolchildren - mostly from small sections - showed signs of
“brutal gastroenteritis”
, partly transmitted over the following days to their respective families. Made aware of this source of contamination at the beginning of April, the monitoring and alert unit of the Regional Health Agency (ARS) of Pays de la Loire looked into the problem and designated, last Monday, the person responsible possible cause of this commotion: a raclette-type cheese, made from raw milk, contaminated with salmonella.
The first sick children were counted at the beginning of March. Alerted for the first time at this time, the ARS then estimated that it lacked elements to characterize a health crisis, confides to Le
Figaro
the mayor of the Les Républicains of the town, Johann Boblin.
“Despite the legitimate concern of families, we remained in the dark for a few weeks, before the growing number of cases of contamination ended up alerting the authorities
,” says the elected official.
Current analyzes
The analysis of food samples taken from the town's school restaurant by investigators from the Departmental Directorate for Population Protection (DDPP) made it possible to identify traces of the incriminated bacteria. The salmonella was found
“on a piece of “cow” cheese”,
according to an information note from the ARS intended for parents of students at La Chevrolière, which
Le Figaro
was able to consult.
A neighboring farm producing organic milk and cheeses – including a
“sweet”
and
“fruity”
cowhide matured for 3 to 5 months – confirms having recently been the subject of inspections
. “The analyzes are still in progress
,” assures one of the producers, contacted Thursday afternoon. Information confirmed by Johann Boblin, also awaiting data from the DDPP.
“It is also not impossible that the contamination occurred after the cheese production stage, for example during its transport
,” he recalls.
The school restaurant common to the three La Chevrolière schools was inspected from top to bottom on April 11, as part of the investigation carried out by the DDPP. “Preventive” disinfection of the equipment was carried out and, in accordance with the recommendations of the ARS, a strengthening of hygiene measures was also put in place within the community. Responsible for digestive problems that can last a few days, salmonella can be transmitted by contact with infected people, as well as by ingestion of contaminated foods, such as raw dairy products or undercooked meats.