Food poisoning in I.Coast kills eight children, one adult

ABIDJAN, IVORY COAST - Eight children and one adult died from food poisoning in central Ivory Coast, the health ministry said Monday.

The "health emergency" took place "during the day" on Friday in the town of Ande in the Adzope region, it said in a statement, adding that investigations had been launched.

"It concerned a collective foodborne illness affecting adults and children, following the consumption of bouillie (porridge)," it said.

Among the 97 "severe" cases of poisoning recorded, there were "nine deaths, including eight children and one adult".

One child under the age of six was evacuated to a hospital in the capital Abidjan, while "three patients are in intensive care" and four more were in stable condition in the Adzope Regional Hospital.

In late 2023, around 10 children died from a probable case of food poisoning in Bouake in central Ivory Coast.

And in February that year, in a village nearby, two people were sentenced to five years in prison following a bacterial contamination that caused 16 deaths according to an official report and 21 according to locals.