Three persons have been confirmed dead and 183 hospitalized after they reportedly consumed an expired citric acid powdered drink in Kano state.
This was disclosed by the Kano State Commissioner for Health, Aminu Ibrahim Tsanyawa, who revealed that the people affected consumed an expired citric acid powdered drink which is a brand of Jolly juice of Fresh.
The victims are from 13 local government areas of Kano state, including Gwale, Kano Municipal, Dala, Bunkure, Fagge, GFwarzo, Dawakin Tofa, Ungogo, Kumbotso, Tarauni, Rano, Dawakinjudu, and Danbatta.
The Commissioner revealed that this batch of the product expired about a year ago and it is still sold in the market for consumption. The state government said 284 persons were admitted, 101 have been discharged, and 183 are still receiving treatment in the hospital.
Tsanyawa also revealed that the worth of the items causing the outbreak is valued at N59 million.
He said; “We have deployed personnel and scaled up surveillance in the 44 local government areas of the state to check the circulation of the suspected products. The state government is providing free treatment to the affected persons. 13 persons have been arrested in connection with the circulation of the suspected products.
The index is a six-year-old girl who developed abdominal pain, was vomiting, and had jaundice and urine with blood (hematuria) after drinking water bought from a vendor.
The vendor was said to have sourced the water from a borehole at a cemetery in the metropolis. The assumption involves instant drink flavor powder and a variety of salt for industrial use (caustic powder).
Water, blood, and different instant drink flavor powder samples have been taken for tests to pin down a diagnosis, ranging from foodborne disease, food poisoning, Lassa Fever, Yellow Fever, Dengue Fever, Chemical poisoning to Toxic Hepatitis.”
