The Minister of Public Health in the caretaker government, Firas Al-Abyad, announced that “the scientific results of the samples taken from the restaurant, which was closed by the Ministry as a precautionary measure, following the registration of poisoning cases last July, in the Al-Baradouni area, showed the presence of samples that did not conform to the required specifications, as pollution was found in the water.” used for washing vegetables, and in the vegetables themselves, as well as in the ice used in the restaurant after it was purchased from abroad, which confirmed the correctness of the precautionary measures that the ministry hastened to take.
He recalled, during a press conference at the Ministry of Public Health, that “the ministry was informed, on the twenty-fourth of last July, of the poisoning of about sixty Lebanese citizens, a number of whom live in Australia, and who came to visit Lebanon in the summer.” He pointed out that “the decision to take action was quick by the epidemiological surveillance teams, in the central administration, in coordination with the Health Authority in the Bekaa Valley and the Directorate of Health Protection, and because there was a great suspicion of the source of the poisoning, and after starting the necessary investigations and forming a preliminary picture of the causes of poisoning, firm measures were taken.” This was represented by the precautionary closure of the restaurant, due to the Ministry’s keenness to avoid additional injuries, until the causes of poisoning are revealed.”
Al-Abyadh explained that “the symptoms shown by the patients were a rise in temperature, severe diarrhea and bloody diarrhea, and four of them needed hospitalization, and they were all discharged safe and sound without any effects on them after full recovery.” He pointed out, “The Ministry has decided to extend the closing period of the restaurant until it secures the required health measures in its kitchen, and secures a system for treating waste water in preparing food and washing vegetables and fruits. The Ministry of Public Health will re-examine the water to ensure that it is free of bacteria and that the restaurant meets the required health conditions before taking action.” The decision to reopen it.
He emphasized that “the ministry’s teams carried out detection and inspection visits to other restaurants located in the Al-Baradouni area, and took a number of samples of the water and vegetables that are used, and the statements did not show any basic problems, pending the issuance of the results of the samples that were taken, which will be announced in the event that any contamination is found in them.” “.
He stressed the need for all tourist facilities to adhere to measures to preserve food safety, and not to be complacent in any way, stressing that the Ministry of Public Health, through the Directorate of Health Prevention and field inspectors, is vigilant on the issue of food safety, due to its keenness first and foremost on the health of the citizen, as well as to reflect This is during the tourist season, but the ministry will not hesitate to take the decision to permanently close the violating institutions in the event of repeated poisoning incidents, regardless of the tourist season, because the citizen’s health is the basis for us.
He called on tourism institutions, as well as citizens in their homes, to “alert of the possibility of pollution in surface water as a result of the scarcity of water,” encouraging “to communicate with the Ministry of Public Health, and to report any suspected cases of poisoning or suspicious places, so that the Ministry’s teams will then carry out the necessary investigations.” “.
2023-08-01 13:21:16
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