Five people have been charged in connection with a fatal food poisoning incident that occurred in Taiwan last year.
The Taipei District Prosecutor’s Office announced the charges after investigating the incident at Poram Kopitiam restaurant..
The outbreak resulted in at least 33 infections and six deaths in March 2024. The disease was caused by a rare toxin, bongkrekic acid, produced by the bacterium Bachholderia gladiolus pasovar cocobennans. At a restaurant in the same shopping mall in eastern Taipei, patients were eating wet rice noodles cooked by sick people.
Bonklekic acid was detected in samples taken from the restaurant’s chef’s hands, but no contamination was found in food samples from the restaurant or its suppliers, including two types of rice noodles.
According to local media reports, prosecutors are seeking at least four years in prison for the franchise owner, four years and two months for the substitute cook, “heavy punishment” for the head chef, and “appropriate fines” for the restaurant manager and manager. . Intern.
Prosecutors said the basket of noodles was left unrefrigerated and then used to prepare meals for customers for several days.
The Ministry of Justice also supported the families of the six victims in applying for compensation. Each family will receive NT$1.8 million (US$55,000).
Tests conducted by experts from the Department of Forensic Medicine at National Taiwan University revealed the presence of bongkrekic acid in the blood of one of the deceased, making it the first time the toxin has been detected in Taiwan, according to research results. infection journal. All critically ill patients tested positive for Boncrexic acid.
Most of the victims were young to middle-aged, including 13 men and 20 women, and developed symptoms within 12 hours.
Symptoms of bongcleic acid poisoning often begin with gastrointestinal problems such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, as well as muscle weakness, dizziness, and difficulty breathing. In severe cases, symptoms can progress rapidly and lead to multiple organ failure.
There is no antidote to bongcleic acid poisoning, nor is there a standardized treatment protocol for affected individuals. Patient care usually includes relieving symptoms and providing supportive measures.
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