26 people were admitted to the Sidi Othmane Regional Hospital in Casablanca on Monday due to food poisoning from a spoiled Pastilla (traditional Moroccan food) consumed at a wedding ceremony.
The hospital’s Director Saïd Benasli told SNRT news that the patients came from the Lahraouyine region. Since the incident, 17 patients have been discharged, while nine others remain hospitalized.
Benasli noted that two cases were severe, including a 3-year-old child who was transferred to intensive care at Abderrahim El Harrouchi Pediatric Hospital. The other patient was being treated at Sidi Othmane Hospital.
Symptoms among the affected included vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and fever.
The incident follows another food poisoning case, as the public prosecutor at the Court of First Instance in Tiznit recently ordered the detention of a snack bar owner at the local prison following multiple incidents in June when 38 people suffered food poisoning.
The snack bar owner faces charges of selling food products that do not comply with food safety standards.
In another similar incident, local authorities in Martil, northern Morocco, temporarily closed three fast-food and snack outlets following multiple health violations that were identified by an inspection committee.