Class OK despite fear child handed out pain killers

Twenty-six nursery school children in Rehovot were taken to Kaplan Medical Center after they were thought to have swallowed diplofenac, which are pills for pain-relief.

The youngsters, aged three and four, were discharged from the hospital several hours later, with instructions sent to their parents.

The pills were brought to the nursery school by one of the children, who handed them out to the others like candy.

Dr. Baruch Gonen, director of the pediatric emergency room at Kaplan, said that each child was examined for blood pressure, pulse and oxygen saturation, and – if anyone did swallow the pills – no one suffered any problems.

Meanwhile, in another incident, the Health Ministry said on Thursday that it received reports of a woman working in a Rehovot kindergarten who had been diagnosed with tuberculosis. The woman is a substitute teacher five days a week in five different kindergartens. In each one, about 35 children aged four and five are enrolled.

Because the woman’s throat swabs were found to be negative, the ministry said, the risk of TB to the children was thought to be very low, but to make sure, the children and the other staff members will be sent for a special test to rule out infection.