Lessons From MBG Cases, Symptoms Of Food Poisoning That Parents Must Watch Out For

Illustration of students eating free nutritional food (Photo: Doc. BGN)

The case of food poisoning has shocked the public again. This time, thousands of children were poisoned after eating food from the Free Nutrition Food Program (MBG).

According to data from the Indonesian Education Monitoring Network (JPPI), there were 6,452 cases of food poisoning as of September 21, 2025. The most terrible thing, in just the past week, the number has jumped by more than a thousand new cases.

Of course this news makes parents restless. Food poisoning is not a trivial thing. Indeed, some people only cause mild symptoms such as nausea or diarrhea. But in certain cases, this condition can be severe and must be hospitalized.

Reporting from the Mayo Clinic on Saturday, September 27, 2025, food poisoning occurs when a person eats or drinks something contaminated with bacteria, viruses, parasites, fungi or harmful chemicals.

Symptoms can appear quickly (in a matter of hours) or only after a few days. In most people, poisoning can heal on their own. But in small children, the elderly, pregnant women, or people with weak immune system, the condition can be dangerous.

Symptoms To Watch Out For

Common symptoms include bad stomach, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea (sometimes bleeding), pain or stomach cramps to fever.

Serious symptoms that risk harm to nerves, such as blurred or double vision, severe headaches, tingling or numbness, muscle weakness to paralysis.

When Should I Go To The Doctor Immediately?

Children are more susceptible to dehydration due to vomiting or diarrhea, so parents need to be vigilant. Immediately take your child to a doctor if they look very thirsty or rarely urinate, appear weak, dizzy, or change behavior.

Also be aware that diarrhea lasts more than a day, vomiting occurs repeatedly, defecating accompanied by blood or pus, severe stomach pain, and high fever (above 39 degC).

In adults, the signs of danger that need to be watched out for include the emergence of neurological disorders such as blurred vision, weakness, or tingling.

In addition, immediately seek medical help if you experience confusion or behavior change, high fever (above 39.4 degC), continuous vomiting, diarrhea for more than three days, or signs of dehydration such as dry mouth, rarely urinating, dizziness, and the body feels weak.

Cause & Risk Factor

Food poisoning can be caused by various sources, ranging from bacteria such as E. coli and Salmonella, viruses such as norovirus, parasites in the form of worms or protozoa, to poison-producing fungi.

In addition, chemicals such as pesticides or heavy metals can also be the cause. Food contamination can occur in various stages, ranging from harvesting, storage, to recitation processes.

The factors that most often trigger poisoning are dirty hands when processing food, unhygienic kitchen utensils, food storage for too long at room temperature, as well as the use of drinking water or contaminated food ingredients.

Poisoning can affect anyone, but the most vulnerable groups are infants and small children, pregnant women and fetuses, the elderly, and people with weak immune system.

Complications That Can OCCUR

If not treated properly, food poisoning can cause serious complications. Severe dehydration can be very dangerous, especially in children. Infections also risk spreading to the blood, kidneys, or brain, causing sepsis or meningitis.

In pregnant women, poisoning can interfere with pregnancy that leads to miscarriage or a baby is born and dead. In certain cases, rare complications such as joint inflammation can arise, intestinal irritation syndrome, Guillain-Barre to respiratory problems due to autoliance

How To Prevent Food Toxics

Prevention can be done by maintaining hygiene such as washing hands with soap before eating or cooking, washing fruits and vegetables with running water and regularly cleaning kitchen and refrigerator utensils. From the processing side, separate raw and cooked foods, and make sure cooking temperature is safe.

Meat or whole fish at least 63°C, ground meat 71°C, and chicken or chicken 74°C. Food residue should be stored in refrigerators and moldy or stale foods must be disposed of immediately.

Vulnerable groups are strongly advised to avoid raw or half-cooked foods, unpasteurized milk and cheese, raw tauge, and unpasteurized juices.