Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro talking with a journalist during his program Con Maduro+ on Monday, February 17, 2025. Photo: Presidential Press.
The president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, urged families and the educational community to act responsibly in the face of new cases of poisoning due to viral challenges promoted through the social media platform TikTok.
This Monday, February 17, during his weekly program Con Maduro+, the president noted that more than 30 people have been affected in new cases of mass poisoning at a high school in Barinas state after drinking a well-known brand of soft drink with the “Vitafer” stimulant.
President Maduro also referred to other cases of poisoning caused by consuming mentholated candies imported from Colombia. “The children who ate them had accelerated heartbeats that lasted several days, as well as serious breathing problems,” he added.
In this regard, he called on students and their family members to look out for one another.
“They have to take care of their high school, they have to take care of their school, they have to take care of their teacher and the teachers have to take care of the children,” said President Maduro. “We have to take care of ourselves so that these criminal challenges launched by TikTok do not continue to harm them at a national level.”
In this regard, the Venezuelan president said that in light of the new cases of poisoning caused by viral challenges, “decisions will be made at the appropriate time.”
When these decisions are taken, warned the president, they may not be welcomed by everyone immediately. However, he urged Venezuelans not to “cry about the decisions that the country has to take in relation to these types of people who promote this type of viral challenge.”
(Últimas Noticias) by Kleybergel Gonzalez
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/SL
