More than 70 people in Idlib, Syria IDP camp possibly sickened by NGO-distributed food

IDLIB, Syria (North Press) – Dozens of IDPs were poisoned in a camp in the northern Idlib countryside after eating meals distributed by an organization working in the area.

Abdo Al-Ali, the director of Rayyan camp, told North Press that 74 people, including women and children, were poisoned by meals distributed by a civil organization on Sunday. 

He pointed out that "the organization distributed the meals at noon, forcing the residents to stand in the sun for long hours waiting for the meals to be received."

He explained that about 15 people were treated on Sunday evening, after being exposed to direct sunlight before eating meals. The number of illnesses increased after eating meals, as the ambulance teams worked to transport about  60 people on Monday morning to hospitals and clinics.

He added that the heat of the sun that the camp residents were exposed to in the past two days had a great impact on the children, and "we cannot be certain that the meals were spoiled or clean before analyzing them and issuing a report on the subject."

Tainted iftar meals (eaten to break the fast on Ramadan) on May 11 resulted in dozens of poisoning cases in the "Childhood Care" camp in the gathering of Dihersan camps in the northern Idlib countryside. At that time the number of poisoning cases reached 70, including 31 children and 21 women.