TAKING FOOD POISONING LIGHTLY CAN LEAD TO LIVER FAILURE

THREE tribal women of Mandipanka village in Odisha's Kandhamal district recently died after they consumed a gruel made of mango kernel.

- HEMANT KUMAR ROUT

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. A study on food-related death rates in the world published in the Lancet journal in 2019 ranked India second only after China with the most number of deaths due to poor quality food or adulterated diet. In fact, India scores way higher than the US in terms of poor food choices. "Food, the essence of life, often becomes the vector for disease and death. Food poisoning, food adulteration, and foodborne diseases are pervasive, posing severe public health challenges in the country, crippling the economy and hampering development efforts," said noted microbiologist and ICMR former member Dr Tribhuvan Mohan Mohapatra.

Contamination and adulteration

Consumption of contaminated food or water results in food poisoning and food borne diseases. The contamination could be due to microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, parasites) or their toxins.

Several forms of contamination include pollution in water, soil or air, as well as unsafe food storage and processing.