Oyibi food poisoning: Only 1 person died – FDA

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The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has disclosed that only one person died from suspected food poisoning at Oyibi Bush Canteen Junction, in Accra.

This comes after the FDA embarked on an investigation after reports of suspected food poisoning at the popular ‘Yellow Sisi’ food joint at Oyibi.

The Authority in a report released on Friday also revealed that a total of fifty-three people experienced symptoms of a foodborne disease after eating from the ‘Yellow Sisi’ eatery.

“Investigations revealed that a total of fifty-three (53) people experienced symptoms of foodborne disease after consuming waakye or plain rice and tomato stew from a food vendor called Yellow Sisi located at Bush Canteen, a suburb of Oyibi. So far one (1) person has been reported dead, but the exact cause of death is yet to be confirmed,” the FDA said.

The Authority has also suspended the operations of ‘Yellow Sisi’ until measures have been put in place to ensure that their activities are brought into compliance to prevent future occurrences.

According to the FDA, its investigations revealed that poor food handling practices could have resulted in the contamination of the food.

The victims including the waakye seller, popularly known as Yellow Sisi, and some of her family members were rushed to the Valley View Hospital, Oyibi Hospital, Dodowa Hospital and other facilities when they complained of severe stomach aches after they had eaten the food last week Friday.

When the Daily Graphic team visited the area, it observed that the joint was quiet and the kiosk locked.

Some shops close to the food joint were also closed as it is believed that the shop owners who also patronised the food that day and suffered the side effects, were also said to be receiving treatment in a hospital.