The surge in food poisoning among Gauteng children – more than 200 cases this year, with 10 of them fatal – could have been triggered by chemicals found in insecticides and pesticides, say authorities.
In many of the cases, there was no food left to test, according to Gauteng Department of Health spokesperson Motalatale Modiba, but in the little that was found and taken for laboratory investigation, traces of organophosphate were identified and in other cases, Rattex pellets.
Modiba said in some cases, there were traces of industrial and domestic chemicals, as well as organophosphates, which are found in pesticides used in both agricultural and non-agricultural settings.
However, Modiba said the causes of the food poisoning were not clear-cut, reports News24.
In some cases, children reported feeling ill after eating snacks like potato chips, biscuits and sweets, while in other instances, they became ill after eating meals at home.
“Various factors can contribute to food poisoning. Food that is prepared in a dirty environment or where hygiene standards are compromised, expired food, and the use of chemicals for pest control at home, all increase the risk of contamination,” he said.
“Another issue that contributes, long term, is the growing presence of illegal dumping areas, fostering an environment for pests and rodents, and compelling people to use pesticides – ultimately resulting in the problem we are now dealing with.”
The director of the Poisons Information Centre at the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital, Dr Cindy Stephen, said while various chemicals were used in pesticides, organophosphates, like those found by the Gauteng Health Department, were particularly harmful and caused severe or life-threatening poisoning.
Stephen added that South Africa did not collect routine poisoning data.
However, data collected by the Poisons Information Helpline, an almost 24-hour service run by the Poison Information Centres at Red Cross and Tygerberg Hospitals, shows almost 4 400 cases of pesticide exposure reported in children aged seven to 12. Of these, about 7% had moderate to severe poisoning and more than a third of these cases were due to organophosphates.
Last year, around 10% of the poisoning cases at the Red Cross were due to pesticides. About one-third was due to anticoagulant rodenticides, one-third was due to organophosphates, and the remainder was unidentified.
Around 25% of the cases had moderate to severe poisoning, and all of these were due to organophosphates, said Stephen.
“Children are always more at risk of severe outcomes after exposure to pesticides, essentially due to their small body size, as well as their natural curiosity, lack of awareness of danger, and tendency to put things in their mouths.
“Furthermore, pesticides may be stored in containers without child-proof closures, or, even worse, decanted into used cool drink bottles or other food containers, making them easily accessible to children.”
She added while the regulations for hazardous chemicals and pesticides in South Africa were under review, their implementation and monitoring required strengthening.
Gauteng is not the only province with growing numbers of food poisoning cases this year. The Eastern Cape has seen 20 incidents of food-borne outbreaks, which affected 486 children.
Seven of these took place at schools, said Health Department spokesperson Mkhululi Ndamase, and were most likely caused by “bacteria, viruses, parasites, toxins and chemicals which may be due to the contamination of the foods and other food products”.
“These are linked to the preparation of food with unsafe water, poor hygienic practices, and poor conditions where food is prepared and stored. Eating raw foods like meat, eggs, milk and other dairy product can also result in food-borne illnesses.”
In the North West, there were 15 cases of food poisoning, which resulted in one death.
In KwaZulu-Natal, there have been six recorded food poisoning outbreaks affecting schools and one daycare centre.
By contrast, the Western Cape has had only one non-fatal case in the province since February.
“Common sources of contamination include viral contaminants, such as rotavirus; parasitic contaminants; and bacterial contaminants,” said Pieter Gouws, a food microbiology professor at Stellenbosch University’s Centre for Food Safety.
Pinpointing the source of food poisoning could be difficult, he added, as a range of triggers could lead to poisoning, including chemicals and microorganisms.
In cases where a microorganism is to blame, such as bacteria, viruses and moulds, understanding what food was consumed and how soon the symptoms appeared can help doctors narrow down the type of illness.
While bacteria could be transmitted through poor hygiene practices, such as failing to wash your hands, or through contaminated food products, it could also be transmitted through water, Gouws said.
This means hands and utensils washed in contaminated water could cause illness, and with so many South Africans in informal and township areas having limited access to running water, this could be a factor influencing the spread of disease.
Gouws warned that homes that did not have refrigerators and leftover food left at room temperature could prove a breeding ground for bacteria and other microorganisms, and that it it was less likely for food poisoning to come from processed or packaged items.
“Normally, if something is packaged, it’s preserved. The reason they keep the preservatives in there is to make sure the product will last long.`’
He added that some illnesses took as long as 14 days before symptoms showed, meaning the infection might not necessarily come from food eaten before the patient’s hospital admission.
Often, dehydration played a role in fatal cases of food poisoning.
“For people to just die from food poisoning is not that common. It’s usually the immunocompromised, the elderly, and infants. But we must make sure that people know how to handle their food products.
“You have to clean your product, cook your product quite well, and refrigerate the product.”
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