"The celebrations started at 9am, but by midday a number of guests complained of stomach aches. By early afternoon some had started vomiting, and others sought treatment at the Kanni Hospital. Around 200 people suffered from food poisoning, but thankfully no-one died. One five-year-old boy and one sixty-year-old woman were hospitalised for three days. Authorities from the Department of Public Health in Sagaing took samples of 16 ingredients used in the cooking, and discovered a case of severe food poisoning. “People need to be careful when handling food, whether it is for preparing or eating it. Locals don’t use spoons at the ceremonies, and often eat with their hands. We told them before that if their hands are not clean, then the chances of getting sick are much higher,” Kani Township Medical Officer Dr Wai Mar Nwe told Metro. The food donors need to be careful when choosing the right food, she added. “People in Myanmar have little awareness about the importance of food preparation and hygiene. Organisers first need to apply for permission from the Department of Public Health before preparing a feast for so many people, so that the food and cooking standards can be assessed. Very few people do that,” said Dr Myo Lwin Nyein, professor at the University of Medicine 2, Yangon. Dr Myo Lwin Nyein also used to head the Poisons Unit of the New Yangon General Hospital. Dr Kyaw Nyein Aye, expert in chemicals, food, biotech and environment and visiting professor at the Yangon Technological University, said, “To understand food safety, one must also understand risk management. If something is declared dangerous, people will be more cautious. If Myanmar takes a more proactive approach to food safety, then the incidences of food poisoning will be much lower.” Around ten percent of the world’s population suffer from some form of food poisoning each year, and 420,000 people die annually, according to World Health Organisation (WHO) data..."