Chitima is located in Mozambique
Chitima
Chitima
Location of Chitima within Mozambique, site of the funeral where contaminated pombe was served.
A man drinking traditionally brewed pombe

On 11 January 2015, authorities in Mozambique reported that 69 people had died and nearly 200 were hospitalized after drinking contaminated beer at a funeral two days earlier. According to local officials, all of the people affected in the incident had consumed the local beer, pombe beer, which they said was likely poisoned with crocodile bile. However, a Forbes article opposed this hypothesis and instead points to a toxic plant as the likely poison.[1] Local officials said that people who had consumed the beer complained about muscle pains and diarrhea. Samples of beer and blood were sent to the capital city of Maputo for laboratory testing.[2][3][4]

Poisoning

Radio Mozambique reported that 69 people from the villages of Chitima and Songa, both in Tete Province, died and 196 were hospitalized after a funeral on 9 January in the western part of the country. Those affected had consumed home-made pombe beer, a yeast-fermented drink of grain and sugar.[1] Among the first reported dead on the following day were the drink stand owner, two of her relatives and four neighbors. The district director of Health, Women and Social Action in Cahora Bassa region said that the area hospitals were flooded with people suffering from cramps and diarrhea and that more people had died.[1]

Reaction

Samples of the beer, blood, and suspicious objects found within the drum have been sent for analysis to the National Laboratory.[2][5]

As of 12 January 2015, 169 people remained hospitalized. The president of Mozambique, Armando Guebuza, announced three days of national mourning.[5]

Crocodile bile

Early reports suggested the beer had been poisoned with "crocodile bile", known and sold by local practitioners as "nduru". Forbes Magazine published an online article quoting studies which suggested that crocodile bile is relatively harmless,[6][7] and suggesting the active ingredient in such poisonings was likely some cardiac glycoside, such as digitalis. Writing for Forbes, David Kroll said that all mention of crocodile bile had ended after the initial reports.[1]

Foxglove, the normal source of digitalis, has become common in the area after introduction by European settlers. The yeast used is not the same as that for traditional European-style brewing, but Schizosaccharomyces pombe.[1]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Kroll, David (12 January 2015). "Did Crocodile Bile In Beer Really Kill 69 People In Mozambique?". Forbes. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  2. ^ a b "'Crocodile poison' beer kills nearly 70 at funeral in Mozambique". rt.com. Reuters. 12 January 2015. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  3. ^ "At least 69 die after drinking contaminated beer at Mozambique funeral". The Guardian. Associated Press. 12 January 2015. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  4. ^ Camillo, Emmanuel (12 January 2015). "At Least 52 Dead After Drinking Poisoned Beer In Mozambique". The Huffington Post. Associated Press. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  5. ^ a b "Bad Beer Kills At Least 69 People, Hospitalizes 169 in Mozambique". NBC News. Reuters. 12 January 2015. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  6. ^ Nyazema, N. Z. (June 1984). "Crocodile bile, a poison: myth or reality?". Central African Journal of Medicine. 30 (6): 102–103. ISSN 0008-9176. PMID 6478501. ((cite journal)): |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  7. ^ Nyazema, N. Z. (June 1985). "Crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) bile acids and arrow poisons". Central African Journal of Medicine. 31 (6): 114–116. ISSN 0008-9176. PMID 4042148. ((cite journal)): |access-date= requires |url= (help)
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