By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Department of Health minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi has rebuffed claims that government is neglecting the issue of children dying from suspected food poisoning.
Motsoaledi convened a meeting last week with representatives from SAPS, the agriculture department, the National Consumer Commission (NCC), the health department and the metros of Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni.
This follows a string of reported child deaths linked to food from foreign-owned spaza shops.
Primary schoolchildren Zinhle Maama, 7, Monica Sathekge, 6, Njabulo Msimango, 7, Karabo Rampou, 8, Isago Mabote, 7, and Katleho Olifant, 7, died after eating poisoned snacks bought from a local spaza shop. Olifant died days later in hospital after being admitted in a critical state.
Shortly afterwards, 74 matric pupils were admitted to hospital in the West Rand from a suspected food poisoning incident. The Grade 12 pupils aged between 17 and 20, from Fochville Secondary School, Badirile Secondary School and Wedela Technial School were part of a matric camp at the Foschville Secondary School.
Last Thursday, 25 pupils were taken to medical facilities for suspected food poisoning after they showed symptoms of itching and stomach pains 30 minutes after eating snacks from a street vendor near the school in Zithobeni, Bronkhorstspruit.
“These increasing incidents in black communities have led to an unfortunate and unsubstantiated perception that authorities are turning a blind eye to this crisis, and seem not to care about what’s happening to citizens, said Motsoaledi.
“Last week, NATJOINTS met to analyse this situation and after careful analysis, recommended that the Department of Health should coordinate all these investigations involving various institutions and bodies because in the final analysis, whatever is happening eventually leads to ill-health or even death.”
In addition, the Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni metros have deployed their Environmental Inspectors to investigate the cause of these suspected food poisoning incidents.
The Environmental Directorate of the National Department of Health has also sent its inspectors to check compliance with health regulations.
The Department of Agriculture has also sent in their officials to check if the problem might not be emanating their produce or from lack of compliance with some of their production regulations, adding that the National Consumer Commission (NCC) has also deployed senior officials to investigate the possibility of a breach of consumer protection regulations.
Motsoaledi has also decided to rope in the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) to assist.
“This is because a few years ago, the country was bedeviled by a food-borne pathogen that doctors had diagnosed and laboratories identified as listeria monocytogenes. However, nobody knew what its source was. “
The Minister thought that experience would come handy in the situation the country is faced with today.
The team from the organs of State has concluded that they are dealing with a chemical agent as the cause of the illness.
Motsoaledi also announced that a plan has since been put into place to mount a systemic search for the agent causing this malady, and that action will be accelerated during the coming weeks.
The plan entails unleashing an army of 80 health inspectors from the National Department of Health and the City of Johannesburg.