A food poisoning outbreak in Jordan has hit more than 800 people and killed a child, all of whom ate cut-price shawarma from a restaurant outside Amman, the health ministry has said.<\/p>\n
The owner of the restaurant selling the popular rotisserie meat and bread snacks in the Baqaa district north-west of the capital was arrested, local media reported.<\/p>\n
A five-year-old boy died of massive poisoning, the ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n
Health minister Saad Jaber later said 826 people had been hospitalised with poisoning since the first cases were detected on Monday evening.<\/p>\n
So far, 321 people are still in hospitals, all in a stable condition apart from four cases who are in intensive care, he told journalists. All those affected said they had eaten meals from the same restaurant.<\/p>\n
He said hundreds of extra doctors and nurses had been drafted to various hospitals to treat those affected.<\/p>\n
Earlier, the ministry said laboratory tests had revealed bacteria in the meat and poultry.<\/p>\n
A special offer of a shawarma meal for one Jordanian dinar (about $1.40), or about half the usual price, had sparked an influx to the restaurant, said local news sites.<\/p>\n
Health ministry official Adnan Ishaq told state television that the meat had become infected because it was not refrigerated.<\/p>\n
A heatwave has hit Jordan in recent days, with temperatures in Amman exceeding 40C. <\/p>\n
The district prosecution said three people from the restaurant, including the owner, had been detained.<\/p>\n
Jaber said an investigation was underway. Any offender will be held accountable, regardless of who they are, he said.<\/p>\n
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More than 800 hospitalised in Jordan food poisoning outbreak - The Guardian<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A food poisoning outbreak in Jordan has hit more than 800 people and killed a child, all of whom ate cut-price shawarma from a restaurant outside Amman, the health ministry has said. The owner of the restaurant selling the popular rotisserie meat and bread snacks in the Baqaa district north-west of the capital was arrested, local media reported. A five-year-old boy died of massive poisoning, the ministry said in a statement. Continue reading