Article by Maria Olteanu – Published Saturday, 01 November 2025 21:51 / Updated Saturday, 01 November 2025 21:51
A soccer tournament held between October 27-30 at Băile Felix ended badly for several children, three of whom ended up in the emergency room. Even if at the moment it is not clear why the little athletes complained of illness, the preliminary case establishes a food poisoning as a result of what they would have eaten at the hotels where they were staying.
More than 20 children from different counties of the country to Băile Felix, staying at the Mureș and Poienita hotels, to participate in the football tournament “Kids Tournament – Turism Felix Cup 2025”, presented symptoms of food poisoning. Three of these were transported to the Emergency Reception Unit of the Bihor County Hospital, and two were hospitalized, according to bihoreanul.ro.
Wednesday, three of the children staying at the “Mureș” Hotel in Băile Felix presented to the UPU with vomiting, diarrheal stools and abdominal pain, and an epidemiological investigation was launched on Thursday, as announced by Daniela Rahotă, head of the Bihor Public Health Directorate.
Two children were hospitalized during the football tournament in Băile Felix
Of the three children who were transported to the emergency room in the middle of the week, two were diagnosed at the UPU with “suspected food poisoning” and remained hospitalized, being later, on October 30, discharged at the request of the parents.
Even if at the moment it is not known exactly why they complained of feeling sick during the tournament, preliminary data indicated that adults and children from the counties of Cluj, Brașov, Arad, Timiș, Satu Mare, Mehedinți and Hunedoara were accommodated at the “Mureș” Hotel, and nine of them, aged between 10 and 14, presented specific symptoms of food poisoning.
The day before, the menu for the children staying at “Mureș” included peasant soup and chicken legs with couscous.
However, the uncertainty that hovers now is determined by the fact that other athletes, staying at another hotel in Băile Felix, “Poenița”, presented similar symptoms, although they had a different menu. They did not require hospitalization. For this reason, DSP Bihor extended the epidemiological investigation to the level of this accommodation unit as well.
The official position from Turism Felix SA
Turism Felix SA, which manages the Mureș and Poienita hotels, came on Saturday evening with an official position regarding what happened. We reproduce their statement below:
“The Mureș and Poienita hotels in Băile Felix are taking all the necessary steps and are actively collaborating with the competent authorities to clarify the circumstances of an event that involved health problems among some participants in the “Kids Tournament – Turism Felix Cup” tournament.
Between November 27-30, 2025, approximately 440 people – sports children, parents and members of the technical staff – were accommodated in the company's two units to participate in the competition held on the grounds of Sânmartin, Oradea and neighboring towns.
On the night of November 29 to 30, several children complained of digestive problems (vomiting, diarrhea, fever, abdominal pain). The medical staff permanently present in the two hotels provided symptomatic treatment, with the consent of the parents, all interventions being recorded in the medical records.
The ambulance service was requested by the parents and coaches present at the locations, and three children were transported to UPU Bihor for treatment and stabilization.
According to UPU Bihor representatives, approximately 20 other children and adults staying in the two units showed symptoms, but the parents refused to go to the hospital. The health authorities – DSP, DSV and OPC/ANPC – notified themselves and went to the spot for checks.
Food samples were taken from the menus served, as well as biological samples, with parental consent, to determine the exact causes of the symptoms. Currently, there is no confirmed diagnosis, only suspicions related to food poisoning, which are being analyzed. The results of laboratory investigations will be communicated by the authorities. Specialists are also considering the possibility of a viral cause,” the Turism Felix SA press release states
It is a regrettable situation, which we treat with all seriousness and transparency. We immediately made ourselves available to the authorities and are providing all the necessary support to clarify what happened. It is important to know that no other similar cases have been reported in our hotels among other guests staying with us.
We consider it essential to precisely identify the cause of the problem and to immediately apply measures, our priority being to offer quality services to guests. The most important thing is that the little ones are fine and that there were no serious cases. We care a lot about our standards of hygiene, cleanliness and the quality of the meals offered, and the safety of our guests is and remains our priority
– Oana Ursulescu, CEO Turism Felix SA
