Rat poison blamed for rare disease in over 100 Chinese kids

Chinese health officials in southwest Chongqing Municipality suspect that rat poison caused a rare limb condition called petechiae in over 100 kindergarten students who were admitted to various hospitals.
Judging from the clinical manifestation, therapeutic effects, epidemiological investigation and the lab test results, the petechiae found on the children's lower limbs may be due to their ingestion of a rat poison that stops blood from clotting, an official with the municipal health department said.
A total of 117 children from the Guji Kindergarten, located in Changsha Township, Kaixian County, have been hospitalised with red and purple blotches beneath the skin of their lower limbs since Wednesday.

Health authorities have organised a group of experts to establish a treatment program, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
The effects of the treatment have been apparent, and the students' symptoms are expected to clear up within a week, said the official.
Police and health authorities are probing the source of the poisoning.
Guji is a privately-owned kindergarten with about 300 students.