Child 'who ate biscuits' in Naledi is still in 'critical but stable' condition in ICU

One of the children who became sick after apparently eating biscuits and juice bought from a spaza shop in Naledi on Sunday is still in a critical but stable condition in the ICU unit at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital. 

The Gauteng health department gave this update on Wednesday after the alleged food poisoning incident which led to the deaths of two other children on Sunday. 

The department said another child, a four-year-old boy, was recovering well and is set to be discharged soon, while a three-year-old boy is recovering at home. 

The department said its outbreak response team had intensified awareness in Soweto after the incident. The team spent Wednesday in Naledi and surrounding areas speaking to locals and conducting health education about food handling, preparation, storage and food safety. 

The team spoke about  the importance of checking food expiry-date labels, hand washing before handling food and on what to do when presenting with food poisoning symptoms such as cramping, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea.  

The talk covered spaza shops in the area and included checking compliance in terms of the Foodstuffs, Cosmetics and Disinfectants Act and food labelling regulations. 

The team visited the affected families on Tuesday and Wednesday to provide support, counselling and to conduct further investigations in the households.  

Gauteng health and wellness MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko said, "We pass our sincere condolences to the families that have lost their little ones and wish a speedy recovery to those who are still receiving medical care. 

“The tragic incident is another painful reminder that we must do more to ensure greater public awareness and increase the level of alertness when it comes to the foodstuffs communities are exposed to." 

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