The National Health Department has expressed that it is worried by the increasing number of deadly cases that relate to contaminated foods.
This comes after the tragic deaths of five children from Naledi, Soweto who reportedly ate poisoned snacks that they bought from one of their local spaza shops, over the weekend. They were aged between 6 and 8 years. One 7-year-old is still fighting for his life in an Intensive Care Unit. The incident left the community angered, which resulted in spaza shops being looted and damaged.
Mere days later, on 10 October, the Gauteng Department of Health confirmed that 74 Grade 12 learners from various schools in the West Rand area were receiving treatment in several Carletonville Hospitals, also following suspected food poisoning. The learners were reportedly attending a matric camp at the time. The children were eventually discharged.
The department’s Foster Mohale is appealing to those preparing meals for mass catering, to ramp up their health and safety protocols:
“We are concerned with the rising number of food poisoning cases around the country. We’d like to appeal to members of the community – especially those who are responsible for preparing food for mass catering to maintain hygiene at all times which includes handwashing before and after preparing food, washing the utensils, the plates and the pots with water and soap,” advised Mohale.
Furthermore, he issued an appeal to all who sell cooked food to ensure that no food that was prepared a day before, be sold to communities.
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