Three members of a family show food poisoning symptoms: Ministry

Published: 18 Nov 2019 - 01:37 pm | Last Updated: 28 Dec 2021 - 11:39 am

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Doha: Ministry of Public Health has launched a probe into suspected food poisoning cases after a father and his two children complained of shortness of breath, vision disorders, weakness in the facial muscles and difficulty in swallowing.

The Ministry said in a statement that it received a report of three suspected food poisoning cases from one family and competent officials in the Ministry has already initiated epidemiological investigations.

According to the doctors and the affected family, the symptoms of the man, daughter, and son included shortness of breath, vision disorders, weakness in the facial muscles and difficulty swallowing.

The pathological evidence showed that the symptoms mentioned are similar to poisoning caused due to bacteria known as botulinum bacteria that particularly affect the facial nerves, throat, and breathing.

This type of bacteria is usually found in canned food, which has swelling or denting from the gas due to these bacteria. It can also multiply through canned meat, especially smoked, such as mortadella and sausages.

The ministry is working to provide anti-toxin drug from the manufacturer and clarified that no other similar cases have been recorded.

The statement added that the epidemiological and other expert teams are searching for potential sources of infection and the ministry has taken enough precautionary measures.