http://www.promedmail.org/
lished Date: 2012-04-08 09:10:02
Subject: PRO/EDR> Foodborne illness, fatal - El Salvador: pesticide susp
Archive Number: 20120408.1093544
FOODBORNE ILLNESS, FATAL ? EL SALVADOR: PESTICIDE SUSPECTED
***************************************************************************
A ProMED-mail post
http://www.promedmail.org
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
http://www.isid.org
Date: 7 Apr 2012Source: La Prensa Grafica [edited]http://www.laprensagrafica.com/el-salvador/social/256948-fallecen-dos-ninos-por-intoxicacion.html
Two children die from poisoning
-------------------------
Chalchuapa Hospital attended 11 people with symptoms of poisoning after consuming contaminated with poison tamales.
Two children were killed on Thursday after consuming a contaminated or poisoned tamales in Canton Township, Coco Chalchuapa, Santa Ana
Another 11 people, including 8 children, were poisoned by food consumption between 5 and 6 pm that day. Those affected were admitted to emergency in the National Hospital Chalchuapa.
The director of the hospital, Walter Flores, confirmed the deaths of 2 children, a 9 year old and an 11 year old.
The 2 children died on the way to the village of El Coco, which is about 10 miles from the hospital. According to Flores, neither child had vital signs at admission. "Nothing could be done for them," he said.
After the children, there were 11 other people who showed symptoms of poisoning, the doctors on duty explained. Most of them had difficulty breathing, sweating and salivation.
"Five of the patients with the greater severity were transported to San Juan de Dios Hospital in Santa Ana, and another 2 had severe cases of intoxication," said the director of the health center.
One patient, a 22 year old was moved to the intensive care unit (ICU) in Santa Ana, Beatriz Adriana Esquivel, confirmed Santaneco.
At first, when doctors interviewed relatives of intoxicated people coming from the cantons El Coco and Galeano, they had consumed one common food: tamales made that evening at the home of a person, who was also intoxicated.
The police were alerted by doctors of massive contamination, as reported by the speakers located in the community who do not eat tamales because of the risk.
On Thursday afternoon the hostess and with 3 other women prepared food typical of the area, known as ticucos, made with cornmeal boiled in ash, and refried beans wrapped in banana leaf.
Some of the collection also had chicken in the tamales, as replacement for the beans.
That evening about 50 tamales were cooked. The owner began to distribute food among family and friends. Left home for 27. "She used to make tamales like this because there is no cooking on Good Friday. When the tamales are ready they are distributed." said one of the relatives.
At 5:30 pm the host served 2 tamales to her grandson and saved 2 for herself.
Minutes earlier he had delivered 12 tamales to a neighbor who had come to help prepare the tamales.
Of that community there were at least 8 people were poisoned.
Although research is not yet confirmed the cause of the poisoning, it is presumed that the tamales were prepared at the same table where the host had previously had been agricultural poison, which was used to kill tacuacines coming to eat their chickens.
--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>
[The clinical signs of sweating, and salivation may indicate that the poison was a type of organophosphate or a carbamate. These are chemical classes that can be in many brands or types of chemical which may used on crops, or insects.
The table for preparation must not have been cleaned well but it had to be more than just a residue, but frank chemical on the table which may have been incorporated into the cornmeal of the wrappings for the tamales.
El Salvador may be found on the interactive healthmap at: http://healthmap.org/r/1obh
? Mod.TG]
---------------
Published Date: 2012-04-10 08:50:14
Subject: PRO/EDR> Foodborne illness, fatal - El Salvador (02): pesticide susp
Archive Number: 20120410.1095362
FOODBORNE ILLNESS, FATAL- EL SALVADOR (02): PESTICIDE SUSPECTED
***************************************************************
A ProMED-mail post
http://www.promedmail.org
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
http://www.isid.org
Date: Sun 8 Apr 2012From: Michael Peat [edited]
[Re: ProMED-mail Foodborne illness, fatal - El Salvador: pesticide susp 20120408.1093544]
----------------------------------------------------------------------
In the previous ProMED-mail post the last paragraph of the article stated, "Although research is not yet confirmed the cause of the poisoning, it is presumed that the tamales were prepared at the same table where the host had previously had been agricultural poison, which was used to kill tacuacines coming to eat their chickens.]
It's very doubtful that this was an organophosphate or carbamate given that they were using it to kill opossums that were trying to eat their chickens (or their eggs).
--
J Michael Peat, MD
[While "tacuacines" does seem to mean opossums, and while organophosphate or carbamates may not necessarily be used to kill opossums, the clinical signs in those exposed certainly bring those chemicals (organophosphate/carbamates) to mind.
Organophosphates/carbamates may not be the 1st choice of many to kill opossums but it does not preclude that they may have been used.
Hopefully officials will communicate the exact cause of the situation.
Photos of opossums may be viewed at http://www.opossumsocietyus.org/opossum_photo_page.htm.
El Salvador may be found on the interactive HealthMap/ProMED-mail map at http://healthmap.org/r/1obh.
Also, I wish to thank Dr Peat for his keen eye on pointing this out. - Mod.TG]
lished Date: 2012-04-08 09:10:02
Subject: PRO/EDR> Foodborne illness, fatal - El Salvador: pesticide susp
Archive Number: 20120408.1093544
FOODBORNE ILLNESS, FATAL ? EL SALVADOR: PESTICIDE SUSPECTED
***************************************************************************
A ProMED-mail post
http://www.promedmail.org
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
http://www.isid.org
Date: 7 Apr 2012Source: La Prensa Grafica [edited]http://www.laprensagrafica.com/el-salvador/social/256948-fallecen-dos-ninos-por-intoxicacion.html
Two children die from poisoning
-------------------------
Chalchuapa Hospital attended 11 people with symptoms of poisoning after consuming contaminated with poison tamales.
Two children were killed on Thursday after consuming a contaminated or poisoned tamales in Canton Township, Coco Chalchuapa, Santa Ana
Another 11 people, including 8 children, were poisoned by food consumption between 5 and 6 pm that day. Those affected were admitted to emergency in the National Hospital Chalchuapa.
The director of the hospital, Walter Flores, confirmed the deaths of 2 children, a 9 year old and an 11 year old.
The 2 children died on the way to the village of El Coco, which is about 10 miles from the hospital. According to Flores, neither child had vital signs at admission. "Nothing could be done for them," he said.
After the children, there were 11 other people who showed symptoms of poisoning, the doctors on duty explained. Most of them had difficulty breathing, sweating and salivation.
"Five of the patients with the greater severity were transported to San Juan de Dios Hospital in Santa Ana, and another 2 had severe cases of intoxication," said the director of the health center.
One patient, a 22 year old was moved to the intensive care unit (ICU) in Santa Ana, Beatriz Adriana Esquivel, confirmed Santaneco.
At first, when doctors interviewed relatives of intoxicated people coming from the cantons El Coco and Galeano, they had consumed one common food: tamales made that evening at the home of a person, who was also intoxicated.
The police were alerted by doctors of massive contamination, as reported by the speakers located in the community who do not eat tamales because of the risk.
On Thursday afternoon the hostess and with 3 other women prepared food typical of the area, known as ticucos, made with cornmeal boiled in ash, and refried beans wrapped in banana leaf.
Some of the collection also had chicken in the tamales, as replacement for the beans.
That evening about 50 tamales were cooked. The owner began to distribute food among family and friends. Left home for 27. "She used to make tamales like this because there is no cooking on Good Friday. When the tamales are ready they are distributed." said one of the relatives.
At 5:30 pm the host served 2 tamales to her grandson and saved 2 for herself.
Minutes earlier he had delivered 12 tamales to a neighbor who had come to help prepare the tamales.
Of that community there were at least 8 people were poisoned.
Although research is not yet confirmed the cause of the poisoning, it is presumed that the tamales were prepared at the same table where the host had previously had been agricultural poison, which was used to kill tacuacines coming to eat their chickens.
--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>
[The clinical signs of sweating, and salivation may indicate that the poison was a type of organophosphate or a carbamate. These are chemical classes that can be in many brands or types of chemical which may used on crops, or insects.
The table for preparation must not have been cleaned well but it had to be more than just a residue, but frank chemical on the table which may have been incorporated into the cornmeal of the wrappings for the tamales.
El Salvador may be found on the interactive healthmap at: http://healthmap.org/r/1obh
? Mod.TG]
---------------
Published Date: 2012-04-10 08:50:14
Subject: PRO/EDR> Foodborne illness, fatal - El Salvador (02): pesticide susp
Archive Number: 20120410.1095362
FOODBORNE ILLNESS, FATAL- EL SALVADOR (02): PESTICIDE SUSPECTED
***************************************************************
A ProMED-mail post
http://www.promedmail.org
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
http://www.isid.org
Date: Sun 8 Apr 2012From: Michael Peat [edited]
[Re: ProMED-mail Foodborne illness, fatal - El Salvador: pesticide susp 20120408.1093544]
----------------------------------------------------------------------
In the previous ProMED-mail post the last paragraph of the article stated, "Although research is not yet confirmed the cause of the poisoning, it is presumed that the tamales were prepared at the same table where the host had previously had been agricultural poison, which was used to kill tacuacines coming to eat their chickens.]
It's very doubtful that this was an organophosphate or carbamate given that they were using it to kill opossums that were trying to eat their chickens (or their eggs).
--
J Michael Peat, MD
[While "tacuacines" does seem to mean opossums, and while organophosphate or carbamates may not necessarily be used to kill opossums, the clinical signs in those exposed certainly bring those chemicals (organophosphate/carbamates) to mind.
Organophosphates/carbamates may not be the 1st choice of many to kill opossums but it does not preclude that they may have been used.
Hopefully officials will communicate the exact cause of the situation.
Photos of opossums may be viewed at http://www.opossumsocietyus.org/opossum_photo_page.htm.
El Salvador may be found on the interactive HealthMap/ProMED-mail map at http://healthmap.org/r/1obh.
Also, I wish to thank Dr Peat for his keen eye on pointing this out. - Mod.TG]