Maia investigates gastrointestinal illness after 70 pupils report symptoms
The local health authority is investigating illness among pupils who ate at Gonçalo Mendes da Maia school, while the canteen kitchen has been suspended as a precaution.
Archived after its publication day. Search retains this original briefing for background and accountability.
Archived 12 September 2026Families should follow the school's direct instructions, monitor symptoms and seek clinical advice when symptoms are severe or dehydration is a concern.
- Seventy of the 601 pupils who ate at the school on Thursday reported gastrointestinal symptoms.
- No severe cases had been reported when the update was issued.
- Cooking in the school canteen was suspended while the health authority investigates.
- Meals are due to be prepared elsewhere from Monday as a precaution.
What is known
Maia municipality said 70 pupils reported gastrointestinal illness after eating at Gonçalo Mendes da Maia school on Thursday. The health authority is assessing the episode and no severe cases had been reported at the time of the announcement.
The school suspended food preparation in the canteen kitchen as a precaution. That step does not establish the cause; laboratory and environmental investigation are needed before attributing the illness to a particular food or route of transmission.
What families should do
Follow messages from the school and health authority rather than rumours in parent groups. Keep an unwell child hydrated, use careful hand hygiene and do not send them back while active vomiting or diarrhoea continues.
Contact SNS 24 or the child's clinician for persistent symptoms, signs of dehydration, blood in the stool, severe pain or another concern. Call 112 for a medical emergency.
What you can do now.
- 01
Follow the school's verified updates.
- 02
Record symptoms and keep the child hydrated.
- 03
Seek clinical advice if symptoms are severe or persist.
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