The National News Agency in Zahle reported that the head of the Health Authority in Bekaa, Dr. Lara Barrak, and the epidemiological surveillance team, headed by Zina Farah, are following up on the case of the poisoning of Australian expatriates in a Bardouni restaurant in Zahle.
Follow-up shows that a bus carrying 100 Australian expatriates had breakfast in several places in Jezzine, then lunch in Zahle, and then ate ice cream in Deir El Qamar. Thus, it cannot be certain that the poisoning was caused by eating lunch in al-Baradouni.
She indicated that the poisoning incident occurred on the 19th of this month, and that 60 people were poisoned with mild to moderate symptoms, and that 3 of them were admitted to Labib Medical Hospital in Sidon.
The Ministry of Health will send a team tomorrow to al-Baradouni restaurants to take samples and inspect the quality of products and food.
Symptoms of food poisoning can range from mild diarrhea to vomiting, and can quickly escalate to the point of being life-threatening.
Jiyeh municipality urges health ministry to take action
In a related development the municipality of Jiyeh called in a statement on “The Ministry of Health and the oversight agencies concerned with food safety, to move quickly, and follow up on the issue of the safety of citizens on all Lebanese lands, especially in light of the high temperatures, and the negative and dangerous repercussions of the power outage from operating the refrigerators intended for preserving food and meat.”
The municipality expressed “deep regret” for what a number of townspeople, expatriates in Australia and residents, were exposed to, during their trip, from being poisoned by eating in a restaurant outside the region of Iqlim al-Kharoub and al-Jabal, and in an important tourist area.
And the municipality called for “dealing seriously with this issue by all state agencies, given its serious repercussions on the safety of all citizens, and on tourism and the Lebanese economy.”
The municipaity wished a speedy recovery to all patients, warning citizens of the need to “be careful when eating foods and meats that may be subject to rapid spoilage.”
The municipality indicated that it “pays great attention to food safety in the town, and for this reason, it assigned several years ago a food safety employee, whose task is to check and monitor periodically during her tours of the institutions operating within the municipal scope in Jiyyeh, and of which we are proud of those institutions that conform to food specifications and standards.”
Increased food poisoning and spoilage in Lebanon is the likely result of electricity shortages that in turn affect refrigeration and other aspects of the supply and distribution chains.
Cases of food poisoning have been on the rise this summer amidst Lebanon’s increased power outages and higher than usual ttemperature.
Source: Al Anbaa
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