Food and water poisoning leaves 320 people sick in China

At least 320 people, mostly children, have been hospitalised in east China's Jiangxi Province in a suspected case of food and water poisoning, officials said today.

The patients, aged from 3 to 18 years old, suffered from diarrhoea, nausea, stomach pains and fever since Sunday in Lianhua County, according to the county health bureau.

Initial investigations suggest that the victims contracted a bacterial infection from food or water poisoning, the state-run Xinhua news agency said.

The affected people are in stable condition, with 21 of them still hospitalised.

Police is investigating the cause of the illness, the bureau said.