Monday, June 15, 2009

Suspected food poisoning kills two more children.

A little girl died from food poisoning in Sharjah a couple of weeks ago and now there's another similar tragedy, this time in Dubai.

Two young children have died, food poisoning being the probable cause.

Five year old Nathan and his seven year old sister Chelsea were rushed to hospital by their mother, who was suffering from the same symptoms, after eating a take-away Chinese meal.

Nathan was pronounced dead on arrival, Chelsea was treated in intensive care but couldn't be saved and their mother recovered.

The health authorities are investigating and they know which restaurant the food came from, so I assume we'll soon know what, where, how.

Worldwide, thousands of people die each year from food poisoning, even in the most advanced countries, so it's probably inevitable that we'll have some deaths here. But what a waste of three young lives. Particularly as basic hygiene and correct food handling could prevent it.



Gulf News has the story.

22 comments:

Bush Mechanic said...

Some time back, a doctor in the Arabian Ranches was posting his concern regarding the number of food poisoning cases he received courtesy of the fast food shops in the shopping center there (multi-national chains). He actually went to visit the shops and was even more worried at the blank looks he got from the staff when he raised issues of hygiene. Not long after, at least one of the store managers was replaced.

moryarti said...

As a father of 2 (a boy and a girl) my heart was torn when i read this story in the morning paper today... may their souls rest in peace!


Bush - please do share more details on these places and i'd be happy to write about it more in my blog..

People have the right to know..

Anonymous said...
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CG said...

I can list a huge number of outlets that you should not eat food from. Some of them have been told by myself and various others on food storage 'rules' but they refuse to listen.
One of these is Spinneys. I have told their managers countless times that you cannot keep meat pies at lukewarm temeratures for 6 hours and still sell them.but they do.
I saw the butcher at Lifco supermarket in Mirdif (no, not my usual shop, just ran in for some water), he was mixing Kofta in a filthy looking platic bowl. He was not wearing gloves and his watch and some sort of bracelet thing were dangling in the raw meat.
The butcher in Hyperpanda blew his nose (with gloves on), and proceeded to chop up meat, without changing his gloves.

This is summer time. It is hot and bacteria can breed faster than ever.
I highly recommend that you use a chiller bag to bring home perishable groceries and prepare your own food for school/work/whatever.
Cheap labour (rest.staff) have zero knowledge on cleanliness.

If you are out and starving then your best bet is probably McD's drive through, but hand it back if it is not piping hot.

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

Bend over!

rosh said...

CG, I'm shocked!

ZeTallGerman said...

I don't eat meat, and this is just one of the many reasons: way too high a risk of contracting some kind of bacteria or disease, especially in this hot climate. Of course, that doesn't justify the blatant lack of food hygiene standards in the UAE.

Anonymous said...

The father of the kids works with my GF in Emirates Airlines and he is the Baggage Service Manager.

they are circulating in the email his kids last birthday pictures :'(

god bless their souls and my heartfelt condolences and prayers to Patrick and his Wife.

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

German, I agree. I was unable to eat meat due to medical issues for about 4 years. And now that I can, I find myself having much more health issues. So much so that I'm starting to just not eat it again by choice now.

Where did that funny guy's post go BTW? people need to learn how to take a joke.

Seabee said...

Blessing, it went because I removed it. It wasn't in the least bit amusing, it was simply obscene.

Likewise, I removed the unbelievably cretinous racist comment just above you. Some would think that was amusing, I don't.

I've only ever removed a handful of comments and all for the same few reasons; racism, obscenity, libel.

Anonymous said...

Hi Seabee... thanks for deleting that racist comment...

by the way... just FYI food poisoning is usually caused from vegetables and fruits which are not stored properly and they cause food poisoning even if cooked... on the other-hand raw meats are high risk but its way much safe with cooked meat

other reasons for food poisoning is using an old rusted knife or any cleaning chemicals that fallen into the food by mistake...

my two fils :)

ZeTallGerman said...

Naseem, interesting theory, I'm always open to news about that. However, I still find it hard to believe - just from personal experience, i.e. eating-out with friends some of them have had upset stomachs quite often after eating meat-dishes, I'm absolutely fine ALWAYS. The only time I've ever had food poisoning in my lift was about 8 years ago (when I still ate meat), and I caught salmonella from a chicken ceasar salad in one of Dubai's 5-star hotels.

Seabee said...

ZTG, as I understand it any food can cause a problem, it's really about the way it's stored and handled. As Naseem said, a dirty knife can transfer germs to anything. Bad or contaminated veggies can be nasty.

But seafood goes bad very easily and quickly, so that's much more likely to cause problems. With meat I think it's not only storage & handling but the way it's cooked. Chicken in particular has to be well cooked, as does pork. If it isn't, the bad bugs aren't killed so you eat them.

Anonymous said...

Seabee, you are absolutely correct...

in most causes there are two causes of poisoning its either bacterial or toxic... we all mostly get bacterial poisoning.. but toxic poisoning is the dangerous one which can be caused by a dirty rusted knife or unwashed Veg or fruits (if chemically sprayed)

I have a feeling it was a toxic poisoning in the cause of the two kids..

either way... nothing will bring those two angels back to their parents :(

CG said...

Apparently the family ordered fried rice from the Chinese restaurant. From what I know, rice is lethal when left at room temperature for a short time. When making fried rice you would normally boil it, then spread it out to cool before frying it. Perhaps it was left out for too long.

rose said...
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rose said...

My brother-in-law and her family moved to Dubai to seek a better future. Just yesterday, September 23,2009 we received sad news that the whole family fell victim to food poisoning. The youngest who just turned 6 last September 3 did not survive. Such sad and devastating news, now I find out in these blogs that food poisoning is rampant in a progressing place like Dubai. I used to wish that I could also bring my family to Dubai, so they too can experience a better life... Now I ask, if Dubai is indeed a place for a better life? Exchanging public safety for progress, is this what they have to offer us?

Seabee said...

Rose that's very very sad.

Anonymous said...

My family and i arrived in Dubai a couple of days ago.

On the 2nd day, my first daughter started puking her heads off and subsequently so did my 6 mth old.

We took our first daughter to the hospital and was warded there until this morning. She was placed on a drip and the doc said its possible food poisoning. She is still currently still recovering at home now :(

After googling a little on food poisoning in Dubai i must say im quite shocked that such incidents are so common here. But then again, given the heat here, im not surprised! RIght now, i have learnt this lesson the hard way and will be mindful about good food safety practices.

Anonymous said...

Dubai is very fragmented place,where peoples often seeking Doctors In Arabian Ranches for minor ailments from highly qualified specialists driving up health care costs.