In a distressing incident, more than 30 students from Ajumako-Afransi Technical and Vocational Institute in Ghana’s Central Region have been hospitalized due to suspected food poisoning. The students experienced severe stomach upsets after consuming waakye, a popular local dish, during lunchtime on Tuesday, June 11, 2024.
The affected students were quickly transported to the Ajumako Baah Salvation Army Polyclinic, with some also receiving treatment at the Ajumako District Government Hospital. Physician Assistant Daniel Agyeakpor reported that most of the students are now in stable condition, but the exact cause of the illness remains undetermined pending lab results.
“So students started trooping to the facility over the night with complaints of diarrhea and vomiting. As of now, most of them, even all of them, have been stabilized, but we don’t know the root cause. We are now waiting for the lab results, so we cannot conclude on the cause of whatever they’re presenting with,” Agyeakpor explained.
The administrator of the Salvation Army Polyclinic has appealed for government support to manage the situation effectively. Meanwhile, school authorities have yet to comment on the incident.
The students began showing symptoms overnight, with the number of cases gradually increasing. “Overnight, they started coming in, not much, few of them came during the day, which is normal,” added Agyeakpor, emphasizing the need for thorough investigations before making any conclusions.
This incident highlights the urgent need for food safety measures in schools to prevent such occurrences in the future. The community and the affected families await the lab results to understand the source of the contamination and ensure appropriate actions are taken to prevent recurrence.