More than 90 children in summer camps near Perm have been hospitalized for stomach ailments, presumably caused by spoiled milk products.
On Wednesday evening, 40 children from the camp "Gudok," in Kukushtan were sent to the hospital for observation, followed by 20 from the nearby camp "Orlyonok."
The number affected has continued to grow, with a total of 46 children from "Gudok" and 50 from "Orlyonok" in the hospital as of this morning, ITAR-TASS reported. The camps' names in English are "Hoot" and "Eaglet" respectively.
The preliminary diagnosis is acute food poisoning possibly caused by dairy products served at dinner, although test results and an official diagnosis will not be available until later today.
"The patients are in satisfactory condition," the local department of the Health Ministry said in a statement.
Pediatricians and infectious disease specialists are monitoring the children that remain in the camps while specialists from the Perm office of the Federal Consumer Protection Service investigate possible environmental factors.
The conditions at children's camps received political attention in June, when President Vladimir Putin signed a bill increasing fines for failing to meet sanitary requirements.
The new law increases fines from 3,000 rubles ($92) to 7,000 rubles for officials and from 30,000 to 70,000 rubles for organizations. Fines for a repeat offense within a year were also raised, to 15,000 and 150,000 rubles respectively, and organizations now face the threat of temporary closure for up to 90 days.
