Nearly 200 young people, including students from a British private school in Bath, have fallen ill with severe food poisoning at a ski resort in the French Alps. The outbreak occurred at the UCPA residence in La Plagne 1800, in the Savoie region, with 197 children reporting symptoms of gastroenteritis on Tuesday.
The affected group includes pupils from a co-educational private school in Bath, alongside students from Canada, France and Belgium. At least five teachers and several other staff members have also experienced vomiting and diarrhoea. Those who fell ill are being treated on site, with some placed on IV drips as the hotel was converted into a makeshift hospital ward.
Firefighters were called to the scene on Wednesday morning to assist with evacuation, and several doctors were dispatched. Mayor Jean-Luc Boch described the incident as a 'severe case of gastroenteritis spreading among the children', adding that authorities were awaiting advice from the Regional Health Authority regarding potential closure of the building.
This is not the first such outbreak at the centre. A French high school sports head told local media that 15 students fell ill during a visit in January, and expressed frustration that UCPA management blamed the groups rather than the facility. He noted that despite precautions like masks and disinfecting door handles, children continue to become sick.
