ISLAMABAD: All children from the orphanage, Pakistan Sweet Homes run by the Pakistan Baitul Mal (PBM), recovered from food poisoning and the last child was discharged from Pims on Monday.

However, doctors advised their caretakers to ensure that food safety rules were followed so that such an incident is not repeated in future.

It is pertinent to mention that on Sunday over 200 children were brought to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) and Polyclinic with complaints of vomiting and dehydration. The children ate breakfast consisting of bread, eggs and milk around 7am and began getting sick at around 10am and were promptly taken to the hospital.

Glucose drips were administered to the children and their stomachs were washed. Fortunately, most recovered quickly and by Monday all the children had been discharged. Pims Media Coordinator and Gastroenterologist Dr Waseem Khawaja told Dawn that it was fortunate that all the children survived.

“In such hot and humid conditions, food poisoning can be fatal so people should be careful when handling food and especially when storing it,” he said.

Dr Khawaja said that cooks should wash hands and clean clothes. Dishes, he said, should be washed properly and whenever food is being cooked for hundreds of people at a time, a nutritionist should be hired.

He said food safety rules must be ensured. Food should be stored at very low temperatures to avoid the growth of bacteria in the food.

He said uncooked and cooked food items should not be stored in the same fridge because bacteria could transfer. The doctor also said a lot of times the same oil is used to fry items such as pakora and samosa for a number of days. “This oil can also cause gastroenteritis,” he said.

“Moreover, in some commercial kitchens old and new food items are combined and this can also cause food poisoning,” he said.

Published in Dawn, July 7th, 2015

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