German health authorities said Saturday that the number of children who have fallen ill with vomiting and diarrhea after eating food from school cafeterias and daycare centers has risen to about 8,400 from 4,500.

The authorities in Berlin and the surrounding eastern German states reported the new gastroenteritis cases Saturday, while laboratory investigations to determine the exact cause of the outbreak were still under way.

Berlin’s health department says the sicknesses are moderate and most children recover within two days without requiring to be hospitalized.

In Saxony state, at least 16 cases of norovirus, a mostly food- or water-borne illness, were proven, according to a German news agency.

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By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS