Oprettet af thai d. 11-02-2011 04:33
#1
Chiang Mai fears food poisoning scare
NZ woman dies after eating toxic seaweed
Chiang Mai health authorities are launching a full-scale investigation of food outlets across the northern province after a young New Zealand woman died from a viral infection believed to have come from eating toxic seaweed
Sarah Katherine Carter, 23, died early on Sunday morning at Chiang Mai Ram Hospital. A friend, Amanda Eliason, 24, who also ate the seaweed underwent emergency heart surgery and is now believed to be out of danger.
A third New Zealand woman in their group, Emma Langlands, 23, who ordered a different meal from a stall in a food market at Chiang Mai's Night Bazaar, suffered food poisoning but is not seriously ill.
"We have never had such a case in Chiang Mai before," Chiang Mai public health chief Wattana Kanchanakamol said yesterday.
He said a preliminary report into the death of Carter indicated a viral infection.
Dr Wattana said epidemiologists were ordered to track down the cause of the infection by collecting food samples from the Night Bazaar food market where it is thought the women last ate.
"The examination result is expected to be known in the next five days," he said.
Dr Wattana said one factor in the case could be the fluctuating weather conditions in Chiang Mai, which could result in food deteriorating more rapidly than expected.
Health officials were being sent to other tourist attractions around Chiang Mai to carry out food hygiene tests.
Carter's devastated father Richard told the website stuff.co.nz the hospital had called when his daughter was admitted and he had talked to her.
"It appeared to be just bad food poisoning. She appeared withdrawn and not sounding that good, but seemed all right. But within an hour of our conversation the thing just spread to her heart and strangled her heart."
At that stage his wife was in transit at Suvarnabhumi airport and he had to call her with the news.
Richard Carter told a news channel his daughter had the world at her feet and wanted to start an overseas trip in Thailand after having just graduated from university.
"[Sarah] touched the hearts of all the people that she came in contact with, a truly remarkable girl. We were just so proud of her achievements," he said.
Sarah called her parents the night she fell ill to reassure them she was okay. But within an hour of that call, a toxin spread rapidly to her heart and killed her shortly afterwards.
Sarah studied chemistry at Victoria University in Wellington and had been working at Wellington accounting firm BDO Spicers for the past year.
Her friend, Amanda Eliason, from Kaponga in the province of Taranaki, underwent emergency surgery on Saturday when the toxin attacked her heart.
Her parents, Peter and Kay, flew to Thailand on Monday."The balloon pump that was attached to her heart has now been removed and the cardiologist is now happy that she has no permanent damage to her heart," Kay Eliason said.
"We have our daughters, so we're the lucky ones really," she said.
http://www.bangko...ning-scare