About 140 people from around Ekwendeni Trading Centre in Mzimba North have been hospitalized after drinking traditional beer during a tombstone unveiling ceremony that was held within Ekwendeni area over the weekend.
Livingstonia Synod Director of Health Mphatso Ngulube Chikhwaza has confirmed the development.
He said Ekwendeni Mission Hospital started receiving patients on Saturday.
Chikhwaza said the facility was initially overwhelmed with the number of patients but was quick to say the majority of them had been assisted and discharged.
She said health officials at the facility suspected that the traditional beer was unhygienic, hence the health complications.
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“Some of these patients have been admitted [to the hospital] and we are conducting further examinations to find the main cause of the disease.
“Otherwise, these people are said to have taken traditional beer during a tombstone unveiling ceremony in villages around Ekwendeni,” Chikhwaza said.
The Mzimba North District Health Office also acknowledged receiving reports on the matter.
Mzimba North District Health Office Health Promotion Officer Lovemore Kawayi said the facility suspected food poisoning due to poor hygienic practices.
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Meanwhile, environmental health expert Chimwemwe Jella has asked people to avoid cooking food in large quantities, especially at big gatherings.
Jella, who is also president of district environmental health officers in the country, said, in most cases, hygiene and sanitation are compromised when people and firms are preparing food for large gatherings.
“Let people always use safe water for both drinking and other domestic use and also ensure that they follow all necessary hygienic measures when preparing food for large gatherings. Otherwise, we recommend that people should be cooking at large gatherings because hygiene is sometimes compromised,” Jella said.
Last year, people from some villages under Traditional Authority Mtwalo in Mzimba North were also admitted to Mzuzu Central Hospital for related issues.
