ONE PERSON has been confirmed dead while 53 others have been affected in the suspected Yellow Sisi waakye poisoning incident which occurred at Oyibi in Greater Accra.
Assemblyman for the Tunmai-Electoral Area, Oyibi Saasabi, Abednego Afotey-Otu, said that the affected persons include the food vendor, Yellow Sisi, and some family members who have since been discharged after running a series of tests at the hospital.
“The Food and Drug Board Authority was at Oyiri to carry out their investigations into the incident. They collected samples of the foodstuffs and the food which was alleged to have caused the food poisoning as reported in the media,” he said.
The Assemblyman also stated that the recent news publication on the Yellow Sisi waakye poisoning incident has also reduced the sales of food in the community.
The residents are apprehensive following the news that 5 people have allegedly died and 40 hospitalised for consuming waakye at Oyibi.
“In fact, when I heard the news myself for the first time, I panicked and had to mobilise my rapid response team to investigate the said issue,” he said adding that the outcome of their investigation rather showed that one man lost his life while 53 were hospitalised but, were yet to ascertain whether it was as a result of the food poisoning.
“Even with the one who is dead, we are yet to find out whether it is due to the Yellow Sis waakye incident,” he added.
Maame Sarah of Last Hour Food Joint, a popular food joint at the Oyiri Bus Station consented to the fact that sales of food have reduced drastically as residents and patrons were afraid to consume roadside food in Oyibi.
“I don’t know how true the story is but l can say for a fact that my food patronage has gone down. We, the food vendors at Oyibi, are patiently waiting for the FDA findings, to discover the truth behind the report on the Yellow Sisi food poisoning issue,” he said.
Meanwhile, the FDA, in an earlier press statement, has indicated that it has suspended the operations of the food vending joint, Yellow Sisi, after the food contamination incident left one dead and 53 others hospitalised.
The action follows the environmental assessment of the food preparation site located at Malejor and three vending sites at Bush Canteen, Prison Joint and Sharp Curve Joint by the FDA and Ghana Health Service (GHS).
The FDA said the suspension would hold until measures have been put in place to ensure that their activities were brought into compliance to prevent future occurrences.
BY Prince Fiifi Yorke