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98 Mourners Admitted After Drinking Poisoned ‘Munkoyo’
Ninety-eight people, among them 46 children, have been admitted to Kitwe Central Hospital (KCH) for suspected poisoning after drinking a traditional brew commonly known as ‘munkoyo’ at a funeral house.
The traditional sweet drink was consumed by mourners at house number 13, Mpumba Street in Chachacha Township, at Mr Martin Kanyanta’s residence after a burial programme on Saturday afternoon.
Mr Kanyanta and KCH public relations officer Gray Chishimba confirmed the incident in separate interviews.
Mr Chishimba said the victims included 52 adults and 46 children who were admitted at separate intervals after complaining of diarrhoea, vomiting and high temperature.
“As at 07:00 hours today (yesterday) we had 98 people admitted to the hospital after drinking munkoyo at a funeral house,” Mr Chishimba said.
“They were coming in intervals around 06:00 hours on Sunday morning while a larger group came between 10:00 and 12:00 hours the same day.”
Mr Chishimba described the condition of those admitted as stable as most of them were responding well to treatment.
He said some victims were expected to be discharged.
A victim, Agness Bwalya said the munkoyo drink was prepared by church members from the United Church of Zambia (UCZ) on Friday and was scheduled to be taken after the burial programme.
Ms Bwalya said the drink was made out of millet meal and containers containing the drink were left outside overnight.
Ms Bwalya said that after drinking the traditional brew on Saturday afternoon, most of the victims reacted around 01:00 hours on Sunday morning when they started vomiting black substances while others experienced loss of memory and pain in the spinal cord.
She said that around 02:00 hours, the victims were taken to Buchi Clinic where those who were least-affected were treated and discharged and others were transferred to KCH.
Ms Bwalya said the severity of the ailment depended on the quantity one had consumed.
Another victim, Chanda Lupita said she experienced high temperature after consuming the drink.
Medical personnel visited the funeral house where they gave the mourners medicines, disinfected the area and took specimens of the drink for further tests in Lusaka.
Posted by Kunda
on August 12, 2014. Filed under LATEST NEWS.
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popcorn
August 12, 2014 at 8:43 am
Sad namwebene Ubulile?
boss
August 12, 2014 at 8:50 am
maweee,, i hope its normal food poising, we can’t manager another outbreak of Ebola. get well soon bane, and for now, avoid consuming items away from your home,just safe. once again, get well soon
Fr. William Mulenga
August 12, 2014 at 8:52 am
This is very unfortunate. Get well soon.
Monk
August 12, 2014 at 8:55 am
maybe the dead man was not happy with the aftermath celebration.
Monk
August 12, 2014 at 8:57 am
maybe the dead man was not happy with the aftermath celebration. Get wel soon!
Mucende
August 12, 2014 at 9:06 am
Sorry, may God help all affected and the bereaved family get out of this sad situation. May God quickly catch up with the culprit if he/she does not repent. There is a possibility that the munkoyo roots used may not have been the genuine munkoyo roots.
Bana chimbusa
August 12, 2014 at 9:24 am
chabipa mwe,quick recovery to the affected,this is so unfair especially for the children who are innocent and vulnerable members of society.GOD PUNISH THE CULPRIT
kasantana
August 12, 2014 at 10:19 am
There was no food,only umunkoyo,ninsala yalengele.Ukunwa nensala,ba PF bring back subsidies,twalafwa.
barose activist
August 12, 2014 at 10:35 am
Bakamba there is no culprit, ifyakulya fya bengi kuba nafyo careful. i am very selective now. apofye nakumatebeto abantu balanya!!! i suspect type yafimuti ifyo bashitile.
mike
August 12, 2014 at 10:49 am
Thats why i always caution my mother about eating át funerals,parties etc,i think she must just stop this habit of roaming around to different Places.Abantu ku kitwe bale nya,this is serious business
kizito
August 12, 2014 at 11:16 am
Imwe bafikala kanshi mwaba shani ? Abantu balenya imwe muleseka.
Nchimunya
August 12, 2014 at 11:20 am
Bembas you are finishin now….Nsala!!!!!
CHIZ~MAN
August 12, 2014 at 11:23 am
Atleast its not Ebola and no deaths have been recorded,otherwise some of those are the symptoms of the killer disease……!
Nchimunya
August 12, 2014 at 11:24 am
This is a good lesson to these bembas!!!why open mouths any how.Honestly!! how can 100 pepo drink the chibwantu aleast 10 out of 100 is reasonable.
Concise
August 12, 2014 at 11:52 am
Id10t!!!
Nsakwa
August 12, 2014 at 1:22 pm
Ukulya nelyo abanenu bali namalilo,akunyeni ifyofine.
Nchimunya
August 12, 2014 at 1:30 pm
If you wish them a quick recovery…they will repeat it again..Let them learn a lesson
Laso
August 12, 2014 at 2:27 pm
They are lucky it wasnt mutoto that was put in there pantu nga kwaliba outbreak yama hard-on pa cililo
kakolwe
August 12, 2014 at 4:17 pm
@Laso, walipena!! Mutototo! Sure??
Seriously, The Munkoyo roots bought from Chisokone, Nakadoli, Jamboree (Chamboli), Soweto, Main Masala & all these markets are not guaranteed safe. Any Jane & Ruth may did anything up for a quick back. Even ‘Ifyanafyabene’. So kunya bebele!
Denkete
August 12, 2014 at 9:36 pm
Elo ngakwaaba ubulwele bwamusebanya, ni shiki. Pantu nensoni ku uulenya shilapwa. Balafilwa ukumaninkisha, waumfwafye pwetete, pweeee. Iyo yaliteeka ku cililo. Nifuma bwangu njingilemo, wakokola.