Malaysia – 86 Students Sickened by Suspected Food Poisoning
Food poisoning is suspected in the illness of 86 students at a school in Ipoh, a city near the west coast of the country.
After dining at the school cafeteria, the affected students began displaying symptoms of stomach pain, diarrhea, and vomiting late Tuesday morning. So far, only one student was admitted to the hospital for treatment.
An initial investigation has linked contaminated curry as the source of the illness. The local health department collected samples from the cafeteria and the results are pending.
South Africa – Poisoned Food Suspected in Assassination Attempt
Mlungisi Makhanya, the leader of Eswatini’s main opposition party Pudemo, is currently hospitalized in South Africa in critical but stable condition following an alleged poisoning incident. Eswatini, is a country in Southern Africa and is also known by its former name Swaziland.
The event occurred on September 23 at Makhanya’s residence in Pretoria, South Africa, where he was living in exile. A Pudemo party official claimed that Makhanya was given poisoned food and locked in his room by an unidentified cook. When Makhanya called for help, those who came to assist had to break down the door to reach him.
The official described the incident as an assassination attempt, alleging involvement of the Eswatini state. An Eswatini government spokesperson has denied the accusations, stating that it is not government policy to harm individuals with differing political views.
The incident has drawn attention to the political climate in Eswatini, Africa’s last absolute monarchy. King Mswati III, who has ruled since 1986, governs by decree, and political parties are prohibited from participating in elections. The country has faced criticism for the monarch’s lavish lifestyle amid widespread poverty.
South African police in Gauteng province have confirmed that an attempted murder case was opened following the suspected food poisoning. The investigation is ongoing, with no arrests made at the time of reporting.
This event follows the 2023 killing of Thulani Maseko, a human rights lawyer and Pudemo member, which remains unsolved. Makhanya had previously characterized Maseko’s death as a political assassination.
Doctors treating Makhanya expect him to recover over the next two weeks.
Hong Kong – Suspected Food Poisoning Sickens Students and Staff
Hong Kong’s Centre for Health Protection (CHP) has launched an investigation into a suspected food poisoning incident that sickened 51 people at a school in the city’s Tai Po district on Thursday. The affected group includes 48 students, aged 5 to 15, and three staff members, aged 31 to 55.
Symptoms reported by the victims include diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting, which began 4 to 31 hours after consuming lunch at the school cafeteria on Tuesday. Six people sought medical attention, but no hospitalizations were required. All are currently in stable condition.
Preliminary investigations by the CHP indicate that the students and staff consumed beef lasagn from the cafeteria. The dish is suspected to be the source of the illness.
In response, government health and food safety teams conducted an investigation at the school and educated staff on proper food safety procedures.
The CHP issued a reminder to the public about the importance of maintaining personal, food, and environmental hygiene to prevent foodborne illnesses.
The investigation into the incident at the school is ongoing.
Taiwan – Pesticide Blamed on Death of 3, 9 Hospitalizations
The September 17 food poisoning incident in Taitung County, Taiwan, previously reported on by Food Poisoning News, resulted in three fatalities and nine hospitalizations.
The Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have released final test results on Tuesday, revealing toxic pesticide traces in samples from all but one of the victims.
The CDC confirmed the presence of terbufos, a hazardous chemical compound found in some pesticides, in all nine hospitalized patients and two of the deceased victims. The third fatality was not tested due to a lack of preserved samples.
The incident began when an 83-year-old woman died after consuming millet dumplings she had prepared at home. Later that evening, approximately 30 relatives and friends gathered at the woman’s home in Binmao Village to mourn her passing. During this gathering, leftover dumplings from the woman’s kitchen were served to the mourners.
In the early hours of the following day, two of the mourners died, and nine were hospitalized. Doctors at a local hospital suspected neurotoxin poisoning as the cause of the outbreak.
Initial investigations focused on the possibility of pesticide-contaminated snail meat in the millet dumplings. However, rapid screening tests conducted by the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) on September 19 found no abnormalities in snail meat samples from the woman’s kitchen. The TFDA did detect terbufos in samples from the millet dumplings.
A TFDA official stated that approximately 96 milligrams of terbufos could be lethal for a 60-kilogram (approximately 132 pound) adult. Terbufos is a highly toxic insecticide that can cause symptoms such as constricted pupils, excessive salivation, vomiting, garlic-like bad breath, and coma.
The TFDA ruled out accidental poisoning from pesticide residues, with the official stating that the food poisoning was “not a result of ordinary agricultural practices.”
The local prosecutor’s office launched an investigation into the source of the millet and the preparation process of the dumplings after detecting up to 1,323 milligrams per kilogram of terbufos in a container found in the woman’s home.
At a press conference on Tuesday, a CDC spokesperson reported that terbufos was detected in the blood or urine of all 11 tested individuals. These results were confirmed by forensic experts at National Taiwan University and Taipei Veterans General Hospital.
As of the Tuesday press conference, two survivors remained hospitalized, while the other seven had been discharged.
India – Tourist Sickened by Traditional Drink, Young Girl Dies from Suspected Food Poisoning
UJJAIN – A YouTuber from the United Kingdom was recently hospitalized for food poisoning in India after consuming a traditional Indian drink.
Sam Pepper was visiting Ujjain, a city in India’s state of Madhya Pradesh, when the incident took place. The drink, bhang lassi, typically is made with yogurt, sugar, nuts, spices, and cannibis leaves.
After consuming the bhang lassi, Pepper began experiencing severe gastrointestinal symptoms.
In a social media video, Pepper blamed his issues not on the strength of the drink but on the conditions in which the drink was made, claiming that the vendor’s hands were dirty and that he was using community cups.
Despite making negative comments about the country in his YouTube video, Pepper later commented via social media that “Just to be clear i love India.”
MUZAFFARNAGAR – A suspected food poisoning incident in India’s state of Uttar Pradesh has resulted in the death of a 10 year old girl and hospitalization of four family members.
The family reportedly consumed dal, a lentil dish, for dinner on Wednesday night. Shortly after, they began experiencing severe symptoms of food poisoning, including diarrhea and vomiting.
The family was taken to a local hospital where doctors pronounced the young girl dead upon arrival.
An Uttar Pradesh minister visited the hospital on Thursday to assess the condition of the surviving family members and ensure they were receiving the highest standard of care.
Commenting on this article, one national food poisoning lawyer said, “These incidents are a sobering reminder of the importance of food safety and the potentially devastating consequences of food poisoning. Local health authorities are needed to investigate the cause of the contamination to prevent similar tragedies in the future.”
