Description of a Mass Poisoning in a Rural District in Mozambique: The First Documented Bongkrekic Acid Poisoning in Africa.

ABSTRACT: Background:On 9 January 2015, in a rural town in Mozambique, >230 persons became sick and 75 died of an illness linked to drinking pombe, a traditional alcoholic beverage. Methods:An investigation was conducted to identify case patients and determine the cause of the outbreak. A case patient was defined as any resident of Chitima who developed any new or unexplained neurologic, gastrointestinal, or cardiovascular symptom from 9 January at 6:00 am through 12 January at 11:59 pm. We conducted medical record reviews, healthcare worker and community surveys, anthropologic and toxicologic investigations of local medicinal plants and commercial pesticides, and laboratory testing of the suspect and control pombe. Results:We identified 234 case patients; 75 (32%) died and 159 recovered. Overall, 6

SUBMITTER: Gudo ES 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5908738 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature