Ottawa Public Health is investigating after a suspected case of food poisoning sent six kids to hospital and made about 20 other kids sick at a summer camp in Barrhaven.

Paramedics say six kids between the ages of five and eight were taken to hospital after vomiting and feeling nauseous.

“Kids are very susceptible to dehydration, so before it got to that point…the decision was made to transport them to hospital so they could be monitored and re-hydrated,” said Paramedics spokesman J.P. Trottier.

The kids, as well as a number of adult supervisors, started feeling ill around 3 p.m. on Thursday at a Chinese day camp running out of St. Cecilia Elementary School in Barrhaven.

Paramedics say they had all shared the same catered lunch around 1:30 p.m., and started feeling sick around the same time.

“There were violent symptoms that happened very quickly, which is actually a slightly good sign,” said Trottier.

Paramedics say the kids who became sick were all between five and 13 years old.

 Parents who were coming to pick up their kids from camp arrived to find paramedics, police and fire crews outside of the school.

“I was very, very worried,” said parent Bin Chen, whose eight-year-old son Paul felt nauseous after lunch. “I ran inside the building, I saw lots of kids on the bench, some lying on the mat,” he said.

Ottawa Public Health says the catered lunch included fried rice and noodles.

Parents say it came from a Chinese restaurant, but health inspectors did not confirm that.

Parent Charlie Gao was releaved his eight-year-old daughter Michelle was not among those feeling ill.

“She ate the rice too, but she didn’t eat too much today, so far she’s ok,” he said.

Firefighters checked the building for carbon monoxide, but that was ruled out as the source of the illness.

Paramedics said about 90 kids were attending the Tian Tian Chinese Summer Camp.

Ottawa Public Health has gathered samples from the sick kids, as well as from the caterer and the food served at the school to see if there is a common link. They say the source of the illness is still not confirmed.

They are expected to provide an update on Friday.