Beer Poisoning Death Toll Rises to 69 in Central Mozambique

While praying for those that have passed on to rest in peace and God grants their closed relatives the fortitude to bear the lost. I also pray for the ones presently admitted at the hospital a quick recovery. The beer poisoning really sound me confusing though I know investigation is still on.
More so, I won’t fail to let you know my dear readers its hard time we stayed away from those things that can ignorantly send us to an early grave. I preach to you to stop consuming liquid that you are not sure of its origination and the some manufacturing drinks without government approved label. Always remember ‘’your health is your wealth’’
The number of victims who have died after drinking poisoned traditional beer in central Mozambique has risen to 69, with authorities concerned there will be more fatalities among those being treated in hospital.
People attending a weekend funeral became ill after consuming the beer in Chitima, a town in Tete province. Authorities said yesterday that 56 had died, prompting the government of Mozambique to declare three days of mourning. A further 169 people are being treated in hospital, the health department said in a statement today.
“We fear that the number of deaths will still increase as many people are still coming to hospital with diarrhea and muscular pains, the principle symptoms,” Paula Sales, health director in Tete province, said by phone.
Those who were sickened drank phombe, a beer brewed from corn. The first deaths occurred early on Jan. 10, and the fatalities included the maker of the beer and members of her family, Radio Mocambique reported.
“I visited a local hospital this morning and some people are recovering well, but several of them are still bad,” Health Minister Alexandre Manguele said in a phone interview.
Manguele wouldn’t confirm local reports that the beer had been contaminated with the bile of crocodiles, which are common in Tete. Analysis of collected samples will establish what poisoned the drinkers, he said.
Kenyan Poisonings
Certainty over the number of dead is clouded because some the ill didn’t reach hospital, Manguele said. “Many people died at home,” he said.
The home brewing of traditional alcoholic drinks is a common practice in many African countries. In Kenya, at least 105 people died in May after consuming a contaminated batch of chang’aa, a moonshine distilled from grains like wheat and corn. Chang’aa is typically offered at shacks or informal taverns in Kenyan towns and villages as a cheaper option than retail alcohol brands.
Samples taken from the bodies of the Tete poisoning victims will be sent for analysis to the Mozambique capital, Maputo, and later to South Africa, Radio Mocambique reported.



Source: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2015-01-12/beer-poisoning-death-toll-increases-to-69-in-central-mozambique.html