TAKING FOOD POISONING LIGHTLY CAN LEAD TO LIVER FAILURE

Three tribal women in Odisha's Kandhamal district recently died after consuming stale mango kernel gruel, resulting in fungal infection and advanced liver failure.

- HEMANT KUMAR ROUT @Bhubaneswar

Three tribal women of Mandipanka village in Odisha's Kandhamal district recently died after they consumed a gruel made of mango kernel. The gruel had gone stale as it was kept without proper preservation, and resulted in fungal infection which led to advanced liver failure.

"One of the three women succumbed while undergoing treatment. She suffered multiorgan failure and died due to fulminant hepatitis, which is a severe form of acute liver failure found in people without prior liver problems or chronic hepatitis. It developed in those who had the gruel after two or three days of its preparation. The gruel became toxic, leading to fungal growth among those who consumed it," said Odisha director of public health Dr Nilakantha Mishra.

This is not an isolated case as one in 10 people fall sick from something they eat or drink every year globally, as per World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates. Foodborne diseases cause over 600 million illnesses and 4.2 lakh deaths worldwide. Children are affected most, with over 1.25 lakh kids under five falling victims to the foodborne diseases annually.