Fish Meal Kills 4

Four persons have reportedly lost their lives at the Margaret Marquart Catholic Hospital at Kpando in the Volta Region where they were diagnosed of food poisoning after consuming fish suspected to be poisonous.

About 10 others are currently on admission at the same health facility receiving treatment after eating the said mysterious fish.

The hospital recorded three of the deaths two weeks ago when about 11 people were rushed there from one of the communities at Alavanyo, complaining of stomach upset.

The latest death occurred on Wednesday, after four family members from Gbefi were also rushed to the hospital, with one pronounced dead upon arrival.

The incident has since left residents of the affected communities in fear and distress.

The administrator of the Margaret Marquart Hospital, Hanson Torde, who confirmed the incident, claimed that preliminary investigations into the case revealed that the victims had suffered from food poisoning, which could be caused by the consumption of the said fish.

He said the hospital authorities had contacted the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) about the matter, while a sample of the said poisonous fish had been handed over to the police to conduct thorough investigations into the incident.

Mr. Torde added that the bodies of the deceased were to be sent to either the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital or 37 Military Hospital in Accra for a post-mortem to be conducted on them to ascertain the actual cause of death.

FDA Volta Regional Director, Eugene Addo, in an interview, said that his office received the sad news and that personnel had been sent to the affected communities.

He said the Authority currently has a sample of the smoked fish, but would speak to the families of the affected persons to ascertain the source of the fish to enable them carry out thorough investigations into the matter.

From Gibril Abdul Razak, Ho ( [email protected] )