Cartoon makes children ill

Tokyo - A children's television cartoon triggered seizures in more than 500 children around Japan last night, with many rushed to hospitals, according to reports in major Japanese newspapers.Today's headlines were dominated by reports that at least 530 schoolchildren suffered convulsions, vomiting and other symptoms while watching the cartoon, called Pocket Monsters.The Yomiuri newspaper said the cartoon featured a scene in which a bright red explosion filled the screen. It quoted a doctor specialising in epileptic fits as saying he believed the symptoms were similar to fits that some children were susceptible to when they play video games.