A plate of 'waakye'
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27th June, 2012
50 Hospitalised After 'Waakye' Meal
About 50 people, including three children, were on Tuesday rushed to the Nsawam Government Hospital for treatment after eating ‘Waakye’ (boiled rice and beans) suspected to have been poisoned.
Majority of them were said to have bought the food from the same source and later complained of running stomach.
No death has been recorded yet, but the ‘waakye’ seller is assisting the police to investigate the incident.
Speaking to Times, the Medical Director of the Nsawam Government Hospital, Dr. Kofi Abloh said many people were rushed to the hospital with cases of vomiting and diarrhea, adding that about 90 per cent of them ate the food from the same source, with the rest from other sources.
He said the situation was so serious that each patient was put on 20 liters of intravenous infusion and were made to wear pampers during the whole period of their admission.
“Fortunately, the situation was later brought under control and almost all the patients have been discharged,” he added.
Dr. Abloh said the food could have been poisoned through the chemical used in preserving the beans for the waakye preparation, pointing out that “samples of the beans have been sent to the Eastern Regional Health Directorate for further investigations.”
“The hospital held itself in readiness for the situation. All the victims of the food poisoning were quarantined, whiles adequate intravenous infusions were stored for any emergency,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Akwapim South District Disease Control Unit and the Information Service Department have been tasked to educate the people to take precautionary measures in respect of food hygiene and sanitation to avoid the outbreak of any preventable epidemic.
Dr Ablor advised the public to be hygiene-conscious, emphasizing that “we should wash our hands before eating and immediately report all cases of unusual vomiting and diarrhea for medical attention”.
Majority of them were said to have bought the food from the same source and later complained of running stomach.
No death has been recorded yet, but the ‘waakye’ seller is assisting the police to investigate the incident.
Speaking to Times, the Medical Director of the Nsawam Government Hospital, Dr. Kofi Abloh said many people were rushed to the hospital with cases of vomiting and diarrhea, adding that about 90 per cent of them ate the food from the same source, with the rest from other sources.
He said the situation was so serious that each patient was put on 20 liters of intravenous infusion and were made to wear pampers during the whole period of their admission.
“Fortunately, the situation was later brought under control and almost all the patients have been discharged,” he added.
Dr. Abloh said the food could have been poisoned through the chemical used in preserving the beans for the waakye preparation, pointing out that “samples of the beans have been sent to the Eastern Regional Health Directorate for further investigations.”
“The hospital held itself in readiness for the situation. All the victims of the food poisoning were quarantined, whiles adequate intravenous infusions were stored for any emergency,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Akwapim South District Disease Control Unit and the Information Service Department have been tasked to educate the people to take precautionary measures in respect of food hygiene and sanitation to avoid the outbreak of any preventable epidemic.
Dr Ablor advised the public to be hygiene-conscious, emphasizing that “we should wash our hands before eating and immediately report all cases of unusual vomiting and diarrhea for medical attention”.
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