12 Thai children rushed to hospital after drinking rotten school milk

[webfact]

12 children sent to hospital after having drunk rotten school milk

PHICHIT: -- Twelve kindergarten students of a school in Sark Lek district of Phichit were rushed to the district hospital on Monday with serious stomach-ache after having drunk free school milk.

The incident prompted the provincial public health office to dispatch inspectors to examine samples of milk at Sark Lek kindergarten school where 12 students suffered vomiting and stomach-ache after having drunk milk provided by the school.

They also inspected milk in two other schools in Sark Lek district.

Dr Somsak Siriwattanakul, deputy director of the provincial health office, said that initial examination showed the milk at Sark Lek kindergarten school was rotten. He said that the teachers there didn’t realize that the milk was not fit for consumption and distributed to the children.

Mr Thaweep Srisawat, the school director, said that the 12 children were in stable condition now after being treated at the hospital. He added that other bigger students were also given the same kind of milk and they were alright.

The milk was produced in Nakhon Ratchasima and Ratchaburi. But no expiration dates were printed on the packages.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/12-children-sent-to-hospital-after-having-drunk-rotten-school-milk


-- Thai PBS 2015-10-06

[Toknarok]

There are two types of milk supplied to our local primary school. UHT variety in the waxed cartons and 'fresh' milk in plastic bags.The 'fresh' milk is not really that, it is reconstituted dried milk powder labelled as fresh. I have no doubt it was the latter that caused the poisoning.

Edited October 6, 2015 by Toknarok

[MaxLee]

Amazing Happiness Thailand, where children are poisoned with spoiled milk that is decades old....

500 Baht per sick child, slap on the wrist, next please.....

[geriatrickid]

Thai children should not be served milk. There is no need for it and it is not a cost effective or healthy service. Traditional beverages of rice milk, coconut milk and even soy milk could be provided.

The idea of serving milk is a marketing initiative from the commercial dairy interests aka the milk monopoly of Thailand. Most asians are lactose intolerant and cannot fully digest the sugars in the milk. This results in gas, bloating, flatulence, and gastric distress. Why would anyone inflict such a condition on children?

[Oziex1]

Thai children should not be served milk. There is no need for it and it is not a cost effective or healthy service. Traditional beverages of rice milk, coconut milk and even soy milk could be provided.

The idea of serving milk is a marketing initiative from the commercial dairy interests aka the milk monopoly of Thailand. Most asians are lactose intolerant and cannot fully digest the sugars in the milk. This results in gas, bloating, flatulence, and gastric distress. Why would anyone inflict such a condition on children?

Why, well you and the rest of us know why. Bt Bt Bt.

[AyG]

It's déjà vu all over again. How many times does this sort of thing have to happen before action is taken to stop it?

(But then, the same thing could be said about mass shootings at schools in America, and that is probably a tad more serious.)

[speedtripler]

And not a single teacher was hospitalised??

They should be fired for at least not checking before giving it to kindergarten kids, rotten milk smells so bad that its unmistakable that anyone could make that mistake IF they gave a shit...

[robblok]

It's déjà vu all over again. How many times does this sort of thing have to happen before action is taken to stop it?

(But then, the same thing could be said about mass shootings at schools in America, and that is probably a tad more serious.)

Money is made and they said they would check the dairy farms but guess nobody dares to fine them.

[steven100]

This is due to the department of health not imposing stricter regulations to stop this from happening.

I often cringe when I see Thai's preparing something and they are using the same meat clever, same filthy rag to wipe the clever, same chopping block for everything.

no expiration date.

milk left out of cold rooms for extended periods.

kids not taught what hygiene really means

teach thai's that chicken meat and other foods cannot sit on the chopping block for ages.

Obviously Thai health officials are not doing their job properly.

[allan michaud]

And will anyone be prosecuted for doing this to kids? It's clearly not fresh milk because no one is going to drink milk that's gone off. As someone else said, clearly it's the reconstituted dried milk as opposed to UHT packaged milk so maybe it being ancient doesn't register as a bad smell when drunk.

[Toknarok]

Thai children should not be served milk. There is no need for it and it is not a cost effective or healthy service. Traditional beverages of rice milk, coconut milk and even soy milk could be provided.

The idea of serving milk is a marketing initiative from the commercial dairy interests aka the milk monopoly of Thailand. Most asians are lactose intolerant and cannot fully digest the sugars in the milk. This results in gas, bloating, flatulence, and gastric distress. Why would anyone inflict such a condition on children?

Correct, why the Education Department continue to supply free milk I have no idea. Most kids don't drink it for reasons GKid has described.

However as I like a glass of milk for my breakfast I get it free during school terms as my relatives attending the local school bring me their unwanted milk.

[Kasset Tak]

There are two types of milk supplied to our local primary school. UHT variety in the waxed cartons and 'fresh' milk in plastic bags.The 'fresh' milk is not really that, it is reconstituted dried milk powder labelled as fresh. I have no doubt it was the latter that caused the poisoning.

The problem is that there are many different producers of the school milk an I can only referee to what I know:

As far as I know there is no reconstructed milk. At the college where I work our dairy plant process about 10Ton fresh milk 5 days a week, it's homogenized, pasteurized and packed in plastic bags. It's then stored in cold rooms until shipment to schools with cold transport. Every bag has production and best before date stamped on in the production line.

Everything is checked by the college, OVEC, local health officers and people from the provincial administration so there is about 1 inspection a month. Storeroom temperature is checked everyday and all thermometers are externally checked yearly (same as in Europe).

And it was exactly the same at the college I worked before.

The problem is that compared to a college the companies in this program wants as much profit as possible while the colleges does not as they already have the money to operate from the government.

And one more thing is the handling of the fresh milk, I have seen school keeping the fresh milk in room temperature when it should be stored at max 8C. Same when they take it out of the refrigerator/icebox and put it in a plastic container and if anything left after the day it goes back in to the fridge/icebox, the milk has already been stored to hot and is spoiled!!!

Edited October 6, 2015 by Kasset Tak

[jacko45k]

It seems far removed from my memories of being unable to get to my school milk as it was frozen!

[Artisi]

Thai children should not be served milk. There is no need for it and it is not a cost effective or healthy service. Traditional beverages of rice milk, coconut milk and even soy milk could be provided.

The idea of serving milk is a marketing initiative from the commercial dairy interests aka the milk monopoly of Thailand. Most asians are lactose intolerant and cannot fully digest the sugars in the milk. This results in gas, bloating, flatulence, and gastric distress. Why would anyone inflict such a condition on children?

"Why would anyone inflict such a condition on children?" Why, because we don't give a rat's arse when it comes to turning a profit and it helps us get rid of our old excess stock.

Is anyone aware of what price it is sold to the schools? It might be a very telling question.

And you are correct, there is no need, no health benefit in consuming cows milk, and in the case of Asians it can be detrimental.

Interestingly, I know an Australian Doctor of Chinese parents who was born, raised and educated in Australia, being Chinese (by name) he always attracted a large number of Chinese students studying in Aust. - usual complaint not long after arriving in Aust. was "upset stomach", his standard reply was - "stop eating ice-cream and drinking milk shakes" - problem solved.

[Kasset Tak]

Thai children should not be served milk. There is no need for it and it is not a cost effective or healthy service. Traditional beverages of rice milk, coconut milk and even soy milk could be provided.

The idea of serving milk is a marketing initiative from the commercial dairy interests aka the milk monopoly of Thailand. Most asians are lactose intolerant and cannot fully digest the sugars in the milk. This results in gas, bloating, flatulence, and gastric distress. Why would anyone inflict such a condition on children?

If we are talking about health then both coconutmilk and soymilk should not be mentioned!

The fatty acids in coconutmilk are not of the goid kind, coconutmilk and coconut products are considered to be one of the reasons behind the high levels of high blood pressure and high cholesterol in Thailand. Coconut oil for example is even worse than lard in comparison of fatty acids.

Soy milk holds a high level of estrogen so it should not be consumed by boys as it affects the reproductive system!

Rice milk is ok to drink but to me it just taste awful!

Corn milk usually is to sweet for my taste as its made from sweetcorn.

Only artificial milk I like is oat milk as its healthy and tasty.

[PaPiPuPePo]

Children shouldn't be fed cow's milk. It's full of fats and proteins meant to turn calves into cows in a couple of years.

The calcium argument is bunk; the high protein in cow's milk negates the calcium, studies have clearly shown that.

The dairy industry has been a political player in the USA for 100 years or so and got their product declared essential for human life. No one seems to have considered the folly of humans basically suckling at another species' teats (even if there are middlemen) into adulthood.

The rise in dairy consumption in countries like Japan which started after WWII correlates with Japan's heart disease rate going from 38th to 3rd place worldwide. And turning many Japanese into milky, soft-bodied plumpers. If you've been coming to Thailand since the 80s/90s you can see the same trend among younger Thais.

It also causes allergies and other health problems, all kinds of hormones in it not intended for humans. And it makes your breath smell bad to boot. Stay away from milk and cheese for a while and they'll appeal to you like straining your tea or coffee through a dirty sock.

Traditional Asian cultures had tons of wisdom about how to live but the hegemony of the West has destroyed much of it and put them on the same road to ruinous health and environmental problems* we're driving down.

* 1.5 billion cows for dairy and beef adding 15% or so to global warming. Meanwhile we're making almost every other large mammal go extinct.

[speedtripler]

Children shouldn't be fed cow's milk. It's full of fats and proteins meant to turn calves into cows in a couple of years.

The calcium argument is bunk; the high protein in cow's milk negates the calcium, studies have clearly shown that.

The dairy industry has been a political player in the USA for 100 years or so and got their product declared essential for human life. No one seems to have considered the folly of humans basically suckling at another species' teats (even if there are middlemen) into adulthood.

The rise in dairy consumption in countries like Japan which started after WWII correlates with Japan's heart disease rate going from 38th to 3rd place worldwide. And turning many Japanese into milky, soft-bodied plumpers. If you've been coming to Thailand since the 80s/90s you can see the same trend among younger Thais.

It also causes allergies and other health problems, all kinds of hormones in it not intended for humans. And it makes your breath smell bad to boot. Stay away from milk and cheese for a while and they'll appeal to you like straining your tea or coffee through a dirty sock.

Traditional Asian cultures had tons of wisdom about how to live but the hegemony of the West has destroyed much of it and put them on the same road to ruinous health and environmental problems* we're driving down.

* 1.5 billion cows for dairy and beef adding 15% or so to global warming. Meanwhile we're making almost every other large mammal go extinct.

If we listened to every crack pot idea about which foods are good/bad for you there would be nothing left to eat

Dairy products is bad because not designed for humans etc

Meats are bad full of fake estrogen

Chickens are bad because antibiotics

Fish are bad because pollutants

Vegetables are bad because gm and pesticides

So what can I still eat??

Have a nice glass of water sir, oho wait

There maybe heavy metals in the water that cause all sorts....

[Gunna]

Children shouldn't be fed cow's milk. It's full of fats and proteins meant to turn calves into cows in a couple of years.

The calcium argument is bunk; the high protein in cow's milk negates the calcium, studies have clearly shown that.

The dairy industry has been a political player in the USA for 100 years or so and got their product declared essential for human life. No one seems to have considered the folly of humans basically suckling at another species' teats (even if there are middlemen) into adulthood.

The rise in dairy consumption in countries like Japan which started after WWII correlates with Japan's heart disease rate going from 38th to 3rd place worldwide. And turning many Japanese into milky, soft-bodied plumpers. If you've been coming to Thailand since the 80s/90s you can see the same trend among younger Thais.

It also causes allergies and other health problems, all kinds of hormones in it not intended for humans. And it makes your breath smell bad to boot. Stay away from milk and cheese for a while and they'll appeal to you like straining your tea or coffee through a dirty sock.

Traditional Asian cultures had tons of wisdom about how to live but the hegemony of the West has destroyed much of it and put them on the same road to ruinous health and environmental problems* we're driving down.

* 1.5 billion cows for dairy and beef adding 15% or so to global warming. Meanwhile we're making almost every other large mammal go extinct.

I have never seen so much BS/lies in one post

eg just a couple of many untruths above

Garlic and onions. "Garlic and onions top the list when it comes to halitosis," says Lisa Harper Mallonee, MPH, RD, associate professor at Texas A&M Health Science Center Baylor College of Dentistry.

Several other foods – including dairy products, a diet heavy in meat, orange juice, and soda – sometimes get talked about as bad breathtriggers. Mallonee says she doesn’t have “any sound scientific evidence” about that.

One food that's shown a protective role against such diseases is one that is, unfortunately, typically demonized by health agencies and the media: raw milk.

Raw Milk Drinkers Have Lower Rates of Childhood Allergies and Asthma

School-aged children who drank raw milk were 41 percent less likely to develop asthma and about 50 percent less likely to develop hay fever than children who drank store-bought (pasteurized) milk, according to one study that used data from more than 8,000 children.

2

Edited October 6, 2015 by Gunna

[geriatrickid]

Thai children should not be served milk. There is no need for it and it is not a cost effective or healthy service. Traditional beverages of rice milk, coconut milk and even soy milk could be provided.

The idea of serving milk is a marketing initiative from the commercial dairy interests aka the milk monopoly of Thailand. Most asians are lactose intolerant and cannot fully digest the sugars in the milk. This results in gas, bloating, flatulence, and gastric distress. Why would anyone inflict such a condition on children?

If we are talking about health then both coconutmilk and soymilk should not be mentioned!

The fatty acids in coconutmilk are not of the goid kind, coconutmilk and coconut products are considered to be one of the reasons behind the high levels of high blood pressure and high cholesterol in Thailand. Coconut oil for example is even worse than lard in comparison of fatty acids.

Soy milk holds a high level of estrogen so it should not be consumed by boys as it affects the reproductive system!

Rice milk is ok to drink but to me it just taste awful!

Corn milk usually is to sweet for my taste as its made from sweetcorn.

Only artificial milk I like is oat milk as its healthy and tasty.

Soy milk does not contain the human hormone estrogen associated with sexual development. It is a chemical impossibility. Plants and mammals are very different.. Soy contains phytoestrogens However, these isoflavones are different from the human hormone estrogen. There is not one clinical study, NOT ONE, that shows any link between the naturally occurring isoflavones and a negative impact upon health. There is no evidence of any negative impact upon sperm, testosterone, sexual development or anything else the charlatans of the internet claim. Why pick on the soybean anyway? Nuts and oilseeds have a higher concentration. One obtains a higher dose of isoflavone from eating a few peanuts than one gets from a cup of dilute soy milk. Peanuts are a legume like soybeans. Considering the amount of peanut products consumed such as peanut butter, one would be seeing big bouncy breasts on kids if your claim was correct. If you are worried about estrogens, then worry about cow's milk, because it's in there, along with antibiotics, and other chemicals.

Q. Is it safe for children to drink soy milk?

A. Soy and soy milk do contain molecules that interact with estrogen receptors and therefore have weak, estrogen-like effects. However, because these effects are weak, the molecules may actually act like anti-estrogens by competing with the body’s natural estrogens when estrogen levels are high. For this reason, soy products have been hypothesized to reduce the risk of breast cancer. The evidence isn’t conclusive, but there’s some suggestion that soy consumption during childhood may reduce risk of breast cancer later in life. Soy milk or other soy products may also reduce risk of prostate cancer, but again nothing conclusive — and we don’t know about the effects of consumption during childhood on prostate cancer risk.

Regular cow’s milk contains many hormones, including estrogens, and we really don’t understand their long-term effects. So there’s a lot to be learned. But there’s also the reality that for centuries in some civilizations, people have been consuming large amounts of soy products regularly throughout life without apparent adverse effects. I don’t think children need to avoid soy milk. Still, where there’s uncertainty, moderation is a good policy, so limiting children to drinking one or two glasses of soy milk a day makes sense.

— Walter C. Willett, M.D., Dr.P.H.

Harvard School of Public Health

In respect to coconut milk, humans require fat. Humans also need cholesterol to make their hormones. The issue becomes one of the types of fat consumed. Naturally sourced plant fats in moderation are not bad for human health and are proven to be helpful. Unfortunately, the fats associated with processed food isn't. Without getting too detailed, the saturated fat of coconut milk is very different than the saturated fat found in bacon fat or processed food. Chemically, the plant sourced saturated fat is associated with HDL cholesterol, whereas the animal sourced saturated fat is associated with LDL cholesterol. The coconut milk that is commercially available comes in a reduced fat and "dilute" format. It also comes naturally packed with essential vitamins and minerals and provides fats that are easier to metabolize than the animal fat of milk.

The key is moderation. I certainly am not suggesting that a child should drink large amounts of pure soy or coconut milk. However, the formats that are available at the consumer level are not unhealthy and are part of a balanced diet. A small serving does not harm children. Naturally sourced vitamins and minerals are much easier to absorb and metabolize than man made versions. That's why a large amount of vitamins added to milk are not absorbed by the kids.

Conflict of interest: I use dairy products and do not use coconut milk, and very rarely soymilk.

[Oziex1]

They haven't learned the simple sniff test, who at home instinctively sniffs the milk before using.

And if some slightly off milk gets through the taste is obvious.

[NCC1701A]

The milk was stored with the eggs. What's the problem?

[DLang]

Again?

At least none of them were locked in the school van after falling asleep on the seat and then cooked to death over the course of the day, like a few months ago.

Every cloud....

[steven100]

Milk is milk ................ it's fine for the kids if fresh.

Schools have been supplying milk to their pupils around the world for decades. They won't change because he thinks it's full of calcium or joe blog says to many fatty acids or whatever.

Enough of the .... this is no good and that is no good. They arn't going to give them coconut juice or orange juice or whatever and that's that.

Milk it is ..... and if it's kept refrigerated it's fine.

Everyone has there own idea of what is good and what isn't ..... but milk is here to stay !!

Edited October 6, 2015 by steven100

[northernphil]

Children shouldn't be fed cow's milk. It's full of fats and proteins meant to turn calves into cows in a couple of years.

The calcium argument is bunk; the high protein in cow's milk negates the calcium, studies have clearly shown that.

The dairy industry has been a political player in the USA for 100 years or so and got their product declared essential for human life. No one seems to have considered the folly of humans basically suckling at another species' teats (even if there are middlemen) into adulthood.

The rise in dairy consumption in countries like Japan which started after WWII correlates with Japan's heart disease rate going from 38th to 3rd place worldwide. And turning many Japanese into milky, soft-bodied plumpers. If you've been coming to Thailand since the 80s/90s you can see the same trend among younger Thais.

It also causes allergies and other health problems, all kinds of hormones in it not intended for humans. And it makes your breath smell bad to boot. Stay away from milk and cheese for a while and they'll appeal to you like straining your tea or coffee through a dirty sock.

Traditional Asian cultures had tons of wisdom about how to live but the hegemony of the West has destroyed much of it and put them on the same road to ruinous health and environmental problems* we're driving down.

* 1.5 billion cows for dairy and beef adding 15% or so to global warming. Meanwhile we're making almost every other large mammal go extinct.

Sorry what were you saying , I got distracted by your avatar.

[Alration]

Thai children should not be served milk. There is no need for it and it is not a cost effective or healthy service. Traditional beverages of rice milk, coconut milk and even soy milk could be provided.

The idea of serving milk is a marketing initiative from the commercial dairy interests aka the milk monopoly of Thailand. Most asians are lactose intolerant and cannot fully digest the sugars in the milk. This results in gas, bloating, flatulence, and gastric distress. Why would anyone inflict such a condition on children?

"Most asians are lactose intolerant and cannot fully digest the sugars in the milk."

From which reliable source did this nonsense come from?

[speedtripler]

Thai children should not be served milk. There is no need for it and it is not a cost effective or healthy service. Traditional beverages of rice milk, coconut milk and even soy milk could be provided.

The idea of serving milk is a marketing initiative from the commercial dairy interests aka the milk monopoly of Thailand. Most asians are lactose intolerant and cannot fully digest the sugars in the milk. This results in gas, bloating, flatulence, and gastric distress. Why would anyone inflict such a condition on children?

"Most asians are lactose intolerant and cannot fully digest the sugars in the milk."

From which reliable source did this nonsense come from?

Many Asians I know get diahoreaa if they drink milk

[cloudhopper]

The fatty acids in coconutmilk are not of the goid kind, coconutmilk and coconut products are considered to be one of the reasons behind the high levels of high blood pressure and high cholesterol in Thailand. Coconut oil for example is even worse than lard in comparison of fatty acids.

Coconut oil is a monounsaturated fatty acid exactly like olive and avocado and is very healthy. And unlike what Thai scientists may think it contains zero cholesterol.

[DavisH]

This is due to the department of health not imposing stricter regulations to stop this from happening.

I often cringe when I see Thai's preparing something and they are using the same meat clever, same filthy rag to wipe the clever, same chopping block for everything.

no expiration date.

milk left out of cold rooms for extended periods.

kids not taught what hygiene really means

teach thai's that chicken meat and other foods cannot sit on the chopping block for ages.

Obviously Thai health officials are not doing their job properly.

I think 'food safety' and how to prepare food hygienically, should be one elective course for students under the trumped up "teach less, learn more" scheme.

[Toknarok]

Thai children should not be served milk. There is no need for it and it is not a cost effective or healthy service. Traditional beverages of rice milk, coconut milk and even soy milk could be provided.

The idea of serving milk is a marketing initiative from the commercial dairy interests aka the milk monopoly of Thailand. Most asians are lactose intolerant and cannot fully digest the sugars in the milk. This results in gas, bloating, flatulence, and gastric distress. Why would anyone inflict such a condition on children?

"Most asians are lactose intolerant and cannot fully digest the sugars in the milk."

From which reliable source did this nonsense come from?

Not nonsense at all. Take a look at this.......http://milk.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=000661

[FangFerang]

They are providing milk...to children without..

Expiration Dates --

someone is seriously in need of financial, emotional and physical punishment, and it isn't the children.