In horrific news, the Gauteng Department of Health announced that they are investigating the death of a seven year old girl from a suspected case of food poisoning.
The child was a boarder at a school in Gauteng, and there are more than two dozen other children who appeared to be affected by similar symptoms. The symptoms includes headaches, stomache ache, nausea and vomiting, which are typical of cases of food poisoning.
According to the Department of Health's Clinical Guidelines on Management and Control of Infectious Foodborne Diseases in South Africa, the definition of a foodborne disease outbreak is defined as:
"Two or more linked patients presenting with acute gastrointestinal, neurological, hepatic or hemorrhagic manifestation after having a shared/common meal/beverage during the past 72 hours."
The document continues, advising that "Reporting of foodborne diseases occurrence to Environmental Health/Port Health Sections is critical to ensure rapid initiation of sampling of suspected food products or water. Such a network will provide an operational framework to link the expertise and skills needed from Environmental Health Practitioners (EHPs) to detect, verify rapidly and respond appropriately to epidemic-prone diseases and emerging disease threats when they arise in order to minimize their impact on communities and health facilities."
Additional Reading
Read the news story here:
http://www.timeslive.co.za/local/2013/04/29/suspected-food-poisoning-kills-east-rand-schoolgirl
View the Clinical Guidelines on Management and Control of Infectious Foodborne Diseases in South Africa:
http://www.doh.gov.za/docs/guidelines/2012/fooddisease.pdf
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