Breda University students fall ill at Belgian introduction camp

At least 175 students and supervisors from Breda University of Applied Sciences (BUas) fell ill during the final night of an introduction camp at the Tulderheyde campsite in Poppel, Belgium. The outbreak, described by students as a 'battlefield' due to widespread vomiting, resulted in three individuals being hospitalized for severe symptoms including dehydration.

Preliminary investigations suggest the illness is likely due to food poisoning. The Belgian Department of Care noted that the food consumed may have been brought from the Netherlands. Authorities from both the Netherlands and Belgium, including GGD West-Brabant, the NVWA, and the Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FAVV), are conducting a joint investigation into the cause.

Investigators are considering whether the outbreak is linked to a recent salmonella contamination in eggs from a poultry farm in Geel, Belgium, which has caused hundreds of illnesses in recent weeks. The introduction camp was terminated early, and all participants are being returned to the campus in Breda.