Health ministry issues botulism alert
THE health ministry has warned the public of a possible outbreak of botulism, a condition caused by consuming toxic canned foodstuffs.
By Conan Businge
THE health ministry has warned the public of a possible outbreak of botulism, a condition caused by consuming toxic canned foodstuffs.
In a statement released on Monday, the ministry cautioned students, parents and school administrators to “exercise care while preparing foodstuffs expected to be stored for long at room temperature.â€
“Care should be taken in handling foods, including proper refrigeration of perishable foods,†a ministry statement signed by Dr. Sam Zaramba, the director general of health services, said.
“Avoid the purchase of canned foods that are expired, damaged, bulging or in perforated containers,†the statement adds.
The warning follows the death in October, of Sarah Akoo, a student of Seeta High School in Mukono.
Test results from Centres for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta USA, confirmed that the deceased and her two friends, who have since been admitted to Mulago Hospital, suffered from botulism.
The New Vision has established from Alice Akoo, the mother of the late Sarah Akoo, that her daughter died at Kololo Hospital and the body was taken to International Hospital Kampala for a postmortem examination. Sarah, she clarified, died a week before the school’s gazetted visiting day.
Botulism is caused by poisoning with an extremely potent toxin produced by a bacterium known as Clostridium Botulinum. The bacteria breed in soil and aquatic sediment as heat-resistant spores.
They produce the botulism toxin when the heat-resistant spores change into growing vegetative forms. The symptoms of botulism include double vision, dropping eyelids, slurred speech, difficulty in swallowing and body weakness.
The ministry said botulism does “not spread from person-to-person and is preventable.â€
There are three types of botulism; food-borne, wound and intestinal botulism. The type of botulism identified in Seeta High was food-borne botulism, according to Dr. Zaramba. He said this type of botulism results from consumption of foods that are stored or preserved in a manner that allows the bacteria to grow and produce the toxin.
This happens especially in improperly fermented, salted or smoked fish and meat products.
Inadequately processed home-canned, bottled low acid foods like vegetables are the other types of food likely to cause food botulism.
“Evidence from medical investigations suggest that the foods consumed by the affected girls a few hours or days before the onset of the illness, was contaminated by the botulism toxin,†Zaramba said.
“However, it is believed that the contaminated food was not prepared and served by the school because there would have been wide spread cases in the school population,†he said.
Zaramba added: “Further investigations to identify the potential source of the toxin are still ongoing with support from CDC and World Health Organisation.â€
The acting commissioner, community services, Dr. Dawson Mbulamberi, said the Government would ask the Uganda National Bureau of Standards to inspect canned food.
THE health ministry has warned the public of a possible outbreak of botulism, a condition caused by consuming toxic canned foodstuffs.
In a statement released on Monday, the ministry cautioned students, parents and school administrators to “exercise care while preparing foodstuffs expected to be stored for long at room temperature.â€
“Care should be taken in handling foods, including proper refrigeration of perishable foods,†a ministry statement signed by Dr. Sam Zaramba, the director general of health services, said.
“Avoid the purchase of canned foods that are expired, damaged, bulging or in perforated containers,†the statement adds.
The warning follows the death in October, of Sarah Akoo, a student of Seeta High School in Mukono.
Test results from Centres for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta USA, confirmed that the deceased and her two friends, who have since been admitted to Mulago Hospital, suffered from botulism.
The New Vision has established from Alice Akoo, the mother of the late Sarah Akoo, that her daughter died at Kololo Hospital and the body was taken to International Hospital Kampala for a postmortem examination. Sarah, she clarified, died a week before the school’s gazetted visiting day.
Botulism is caused by poisoning with an extremely potent toxin produced by a bacterium known as Clostridium Botulinum. The bacteria breed in soil and aquatic sediment as heat-resistant spores.
They produce the botulism toxin when the heat-resistant spores change into growing vegetative forms. The symptoms of botulism include double vision, dropping eyelids, slurred speech, difficulty in swallowing and body weakness.
The ministry said botulism does “not spread from person-to-person and is preventable.â€
There are three types of botulism; food-borne, wound and intestinal botulism. The type of botulism identified in Seeta High was food-borne botulism, according to Dr. Zaramba. He said this type of botulism results from consumption of foods that are stored or preserved in a manner that allows the bacteria to grow and produce the toxin.
This happens especially in improperly fermented, salted or smoked fish and meat products.
Inadequately processed home-canned, bottled low acid foods like vegetables are the other types of food likely to cause food botulism.
“Evidence from medical investigations suggest that the foods consumed by the affected girls a few hours or days before the onset of the illness, was contaminated by the botulism toxin,†Zaramba said.
“However, it is believed that the contaminated food was not prepared and served by the school because there would have been wide spread cases in the school population,†he said.
Zaramba added: “Further investigations to identify the potential source of the toxin are still ongoing with support from CDC and World Health Organisation.â€
The acting commissioner, community services, Dr. Dawson Mbulamberi, said the Government would ask the Uganda National Bureau of Standards to inspect canned food.