Twenty young persons suffer food poisoning after party

Bolgatanga, May 08, GNA - Twenty youth of Avutubise, a suburb of Bolgatanga, at the weekend suffered diarrhoea and vomiting in what is suspected to be a case of food poisoning after a party.

Two of the victims on admission at the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital, Ayine Anado, 17, and Azure Ayariga, 16, told the GNA that some unknown people poisoned the rice and pork they ate at the party.

Mr Samuel Anamoo, the organiser of the party, said the youth of the area during the onset of every rainy season, formed farming groups of 20 each to either farm for money or help each other in turn and proceeds from the commercial weeding were given to members.

Every year the group members use parts of the proceeds to organize a party during which they launch a fund-raising campaign. Mr Anamoo said the youth in the community had derived benefits from such fund-raising events.

He said through it many of the youth in the community who could not attend school due to poverty have been sent to school, citing himself as an example.

Mr Anamoo said he would continue to organise end-of-year parties since that created unity and solidarity.

He said efforts would be made to unravel the cause of the food poisoning and to explore strategies to avert such situations in future. Mr Anamoo wondered why only members of the youth group at the party were affected by the food poisoning, whereas the invited guests who also ate the food were not affected.

An attendant at the Male Ward of the Regional Hospital, Mr Azeesi Ayire, said 16 of the 20 victims have been treated and discharged whilst four are still on admission.