A total of 235 Chinese were killed by food poisoning last year, down 16.7
percent from 2004, said the Ministry of Health on Monday.
In 2005, 9,021 people were stricken by food poisoning, a drop of 38.2 percent
from the previous year. The ministry received 256 food poisoning incidents, 18
of which involved more than 100 victims, according to a report released by the
ministry.
Among the reported incidents last year, 43 percent of those stricken ate food
contaminated by bacteria, mainly due to unsanitary processing and handling, said
the report which also blamed a lack of public awareness.
Poisoning by chemicals in food contributed to 32.8 percent of the total
reported cases and 45.1 percent of the total deaths.
About 38.8 percent of the affected people eat the poisoned foodin canteens,
while 85.5 percent of the fatalities occurred at peoples homes. Rural homes have
become a "high-risk" place of foodpoisoning, according to the report.
Food poisoning in school canteens were mostly due to the poor food handling
facilities and health knowledge of staff and improper cooking.
Home-made food poisoning may have been caused by accidental contamination of
toxic animals or plants, improper processing and deliberate poisoning, explains
the report, noting that poor medical conditions and late treatment were blamed
for the high fatality rate in the rural areas.
As a greater number of food poisoning incidents and deaths caused by
accidental eating of toxic animals and plants were reported than in 2004, the
ministry urges health authorities to promote public awareness of the dangers.