NEWS FROM THE UAE
SOURCE : THE NATIONAL
Indian Girl dies as family comes down with food poisoning
SHARJAH - June 01: A four-year-old girl has died and her brother is in hospital after the whole family suffered an attack of what doctors believe was severe food poisoning.
The girl, named as Marwa Faisal, died in Al Qassimi Hospital in Sharjah yesterday morning, less than an hour after being admitted.
Marwa was rushed to hospital with her father K Faisal, mother Shabana and brother Afras, aged eight. All were vomiting violently. The parents were discharged later in the day but last night Afras was still in hospital.
Dr Fatima Ibrahim, the medical director of Al Qassimi, said the boy was improving, though when he was admitted his condition had been critical.
“They arrived here early in the morning and we gave them immediate treatment. However, the girl died within 55 minutes of reaching the hospital.”
According to family members and hospital staff, the symptoms had started during the night, with all four feeling unwell and unable to keep any food down.
They went to a private clinic where they were promptly referred to Al Qassimi.
“All four were displaying similar symptoms, which is why we suspect it is a case of food poisoning. However, we will have to wait for the reports to come out to know for certain,” Dr Ibrahim said.
The case has been referred to the Ministry of Health for further investigation.
Relatives who had visited them on the day they fell ill said the family had not eaten or done anything unusual.
“Things were normal until the evening but I understand that they all became very sick in the night,” said K Ansari, Mr Faisal’s brother. He said the family had ordered breakfast from a restaurant near their home, eating Indian dosas and some paratha.
“The lunch was fish and rice and they had the same for dinner,” said Mr Ansari, who was with the family in the afternoon.
Dr Ibrahim said: “We know from the history of the family that they had eaten fish in the night. It can be suspected that the fish may have been toxic.”
She said the intense summer heat could often affect fish, meat and other foods.
Now the family plan to return to India to complete the last rites for Marwa. They are even thinking of leaving the UAE permanently, relatives said.
The girl was known as a playful child and had been excited about starting school two months ago. She had been enrolled for kindergarten at the New Indian Model School in Sharjah.
Her brother is studying at Our Own English School, which is also in Sharjah.
The incident comes just a day after Sharjah officials launched a campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of food poisoning.
The municipality said it had begun inspections of food retailers to stop the common practice of turning off refrigerators at night.
It said many supermarkets and grocery stores did this to save power, but it was a common cause of food poisoning, particularly in the summer months.
The authorities also plan to keep records of food poisoning cases in the Emirates in an effort to track common causes and reduce the number of cases.
May bows out at 50C to usher in summer
Abu Dhabi - June 01: Temperatures topped 50° Celsius for the first time this year as May ended yesterday with a sting in the tail.
The mercury rose past 50C in both Umm al Zumool and Fujairah, with a high of 50.2C the hottest temperature recorded in 2009.
Other regions of the country recorded temperatures above 47C, forcing many people to remain indoors. Some businesses sought to combat the heat by allowing workers to go home early.
“When the weather gets to be this hot, the companies we contract with to clean the city schedule their workers accordingly,” said Ghadeer el Kheshen of the Abu Dhabi Centre of Waste Management. “Workers begin their shifts early so that they can leave early. This was the case on Sunday.”
Last week, the Ministry of Labour announced regulations granting those working in the open a mandatory 2½-hour break, from 12:30pm to 3pm, during the period from July 1 until the end of August.
But because the regulations do not come into effect for another month, many labourers were seen working in 47C temperatures in Al Ain yesterday. “It is too hot to be working outside, but we have to,” said one. “If we refuse we will be fired. This law should be in effect now.”
A forecaster at the Dubai Meteorological Office attributed the soaring heat in Fujairah to a “föhn winds effect”, in which dry air develops on the leeward slope of a mountain.
“Because Fujairah is on the east coast behind the Hajar mountains, we get drier air coming down and getting warmer,” he said. “The Shamal goes over the mountains and when the air comes down it gains temperature and heats up, and since it’s dry, it heats more quickly.”
At the Fujairah Hilton, the management gave cold towels to guests and staff who ventured out in the heat. “We want our guests and staff to remain cool,” said Florian Gruhl, the food and beverage manager. Most guests had stayed indoors, he added.
Russ Schild, 38, a Swiss businessman in Fujairah, braved the heat down at the beach. “I can’t believe how hot it got this afternoon,” he said. “I am sitting at the beach drinking to keep cool and am still pouring sweat.”
The duty weather forecaster at Fujairah Airport said the current spell was the hottest he had experienced. “I have never personally been in 50-degree weather before,” he said. “The temperature reached 50 degrees at around one o’clock, but that only lasted for 2½ hours. As the wind direction changed it brought cool air from the ocean, bringing the temperature down to 30 degrees. Fujairah often sees large temperature variations in a matter of a few hours.”
Tow-truck services throughout the UAE have reported an increase in calls for assistance from motorists in the unexpected heat. “Over the past week we have received a number of calls from motorists whose cars have overheated,” said Mohammed Ghulam, 42, a Pakistani tow truck driver from Al Ain.
“Motorists should make sure their car’s radiator is filled with coolant. If the car overheats, turn it off immediately and let it cool down. Once it cools, be careful when opening the radiator cap as it is hot and under pressure, then add more water.”