Primary school students in China (Creative Commons)

The latest reported case occurred in Shandong province last Wednesday, where 86 primary students were infected with a virus from unsafe lunches at school. 

Less than a week prior to that, a total of 205 students in Hebei and Jiangxi provinces had also fallen ill after consuming meals provided by their schools. 

In response to these recent cases, the Chinese Ministry of Health issued a note of caution: The summer and fall seasons, it said, are notable for incidents of hazardous food and water intake. The alert went on to warn that those at schools and construction sites are especially vulnerable.  

The ministry is currently addressing low hygiene standards to prevent a trend of health-related incidents from persisting. 

As experts believe the virus emanated from unsafe, contaminated water, the ministry instructed its public to strengthen and improve the hygiene, quality control, and supervision involved in canteen use. 

To reach staff reporter Raishad Hardnett, contact him by email or follow him on his Twitter.