Seventy percent of the food sold on Ugandan streets is contaminated, according to Dr. Benon Kwesiga, an epidemiologist with the Health Ministry, URN reports.
In
his study published in the International Journal of Food Contamination in June,
Dr. Kwesiga, says a large sample of food consumed from the street contains
organophosphates, the chemical in insecticide used extensively in agriculture.
He says the consumption of street-vended food is common in Uganda and is often
considered risky due to lack of regulation and the likelihood of contamination
with food borne bacteria and viruses.
In 2015, there were fatal cases associated with eating chapatti contaminated
with organophosphate, which claimed the lives of three students at Mukuju
Primary Teachers’ College in Tororo District.
Dr.
Kwesiga says organophosphate poisoning is a common occurrence in Uganda due to
chemicals and pesticides sold in the open market, available both in powder and
liquid forms.
This study also found that the case-fatality rate was higher in rural health
facilities compared to urban facilities because the urban health facilities
provide better care.
It recommended restriction of access to pesticide, an intervention that has
proven to be effective in low-income countries. Dr. Kwesiga says the risk of
food poisoning among Ugandans is high and is often reported through media as
“strange diseases” in rural communities.
The study also recommended that clinicians should be aware of symptoms of
organophosphate poisoning so that they are prepared to treat it quickly.
The research paper also shows that developing countries suffer pesticide
poisoning much more frequently, largely due to the lack of training on their
use and the absence of regulatory laws.
Uganda, being one of several African countries without a policy to regulate
access to pesticides, Dr. Kwesiga points to the need for an in-depth
surveillance review of such poisonings to guide policymakers in reducing access
by criminals and accidental exposures for the public.
It further recommended that street vendors should carefully consider the source
of their ingredients. Jacinta Ngabirano, a resident and trader in Mulago
Market, says she has been consuming chapatti (locally-made flat bread) but is
worried about the places where it is prepared from.
She observes however that her major worry is about the re-used cooking oil that
they use to deep fry fish and chips.
Musa
Idooba, a chapatti vendor in Kamwokya, says while he usually buys baking flour
and cooking oil from a genuine shop, he has seen hawkers who often come to him
with these items.
Idooba says he doesn’t reuse cooking oil for samosas he sells to his customers,
arguing that he knows the amount he uses.
Dr. Gabriel Kasozi, a Chemistry expert at Makerere University, says there are
usually two types of food poisoning including biological and chemical
contamination. He however says the use of chemicals such as pesticides
and agrochemicals is not yet massively adopted in Uganda, saying majority of
food poisoning cases in the country are a result of aflatoxins.
Aflatoxins are poisons that results from eating food contaminated with toxins
produced by fungi.
“The contamination which leads to killing most likely you are going to be
looking from a microbiological side. Things like salmonella poisoning
especially if things are not properly cooked and then you need to look at
aflatoxins,” Dr. Kasozi explained.
Kepher
Kuchana Kateu, the Director Directorate of Government Analytical Laboratory –
GAL in Kampala, says cases of food contamination are a common occurrence that
goes unpublished.
According to Kateu, food poisoning occurs when the safety of the food produced
is compromised. He observes that if the level of contamination exceeds a
certain limit, people develop complications that may result into fatalities.
