One dead, 75 hospitalized in Saudi Arabia after food poisoning outbreak in restaurant

One person has died and 75 others were hospitalized in Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh as a result of a food poisoning outbreak, the Kingdom’s Ministry of Health confirmed.

The ministry did not reveal the name of the company; however, local media sources had reported last week that the outbreak was confirmed to be linked to a popular burger chain in the Kingdom’s capital city.

Sixty-nine Saudi citizens and six non-Saudis were suffering from a bout of food poisoning, caused by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum, the ministry said in a statement.

Clostridium botulinum toxins attack nerves in the body and can cause weakness and paralysis of muscles used for movement, talking and swallowing. The toxins can prove to be fatal if they attack nerves that control breathing.

According to the ministry, at least 43 individuals had already recovered and were discharged from hospital, while 11 were currently undergoing treatment.

Meanwhile, there are still 20 cases receiving intensive care as a result of the outbreak.

“All these cases were linked to an outbreak of food poisoning attributed to one source,” the ministry said.

On Friday, the Riyadh Municipality confirmed that the initial results of an investigation by health authorities suggest a single company was responsible for several cases of food poisoning last week.

It said that the chain could be fined over the outbreak and that all of its branches and food-processing facilities in Riyadh and al-Kharj remain closed.

The municipality did not say how long the company’s branches and other facilities would remain closed for but said all food products they contained would be destroyed.

Officials from the municipality would supervise the cleaning and disinfecting of all buildings, tools and machinery, it said.