Africa-Press – Tanzania. A KABANGA villager in Tanganyika District, Katavi Region, Ms Catherine Zebedayo (30), has died while eight others, including six children, have been hospitalised after eating warthog carcass meat.
Among the six children, who were hospitalised, four of them are from the same family. The four children from the same family have been identified as Boniface Kabula (1 year old), Levis Kabula (3 years old), Sifa Kabula (4 years old) and Gerald Kapula (16 years old).
Other children are from other families. They are Sosthenes Philip (1 year old) and Standard Three pupil Lidness Mayokolo (9 years old) from Mishamo Primary School.
Others on the list are Seth Eliya (30) and Noadia Blasino (36). All eight patients have been admitted to Mishamo Health Centre and they are recuperating well.
Katavi Regional Police Commander (RC) Benjamin Kuzaga confirmed the incident which occurred on December 7, this year, at Kabanga Village in Tanganyika District.
Narrating the incident, the RPC said on the evening of December 7, Ms Zebedayo while she was busy working on her farm she spotted a warthog carcass near her farm.
Then, she called other farmers who were busy farming to share the warthog carcass meat.
“They stopped farming and rushed to the place where Ms Zebedayo had spotted the warthog carcass… they skinned it, shared the meat and took it home. They then cooked it… After eating the meat, they started feeling severe stomach ache and drunk a concoction of herbs for three consecutive days,” added the RPC.
The RPC further explained that after taking the concoction for three consecutive days the condition of Ms Zebedayo worsened and died while she was under traditional treatment at her house in the village.
Mr Kuzaga said the bad news reached Kabanga Village Executive Officer (WEO) Theodor Philip (30) who later learnt that nine people, who six of them were children, were also feeling severe stomach ache for three consecutive days after eating the warthog carcass meat.
“Then, all nine patients were rushed to Mishamo Heath Centre where they were admitted…According to preliminary police investigations all leftovers of the warthog carcass meat were thrown into latrines,” added the RPC.
According to him, the body of Ms Zebedayo underwent post-mortem procedures whose some parts of her organs have been taken to Chief Government Chemist. Then, her body was handed over to her relatives for burial arrangements.
