Food poisoning is known to occur sporadically from time to time due to poor hygienic preparations. Its occurrence rarely assumes epidemic proportion. The objective was to report the occurrence of food poisoning due to yam flour among three families which occurred almost in quick succession between March and July 2007 among three families in Kano. They presented with diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain, convulsion and loss of consciousness. They all recovered within 48hours of admission. Investigations indicated that the use of certain lethal preservatives for the processing of the yam flour might be responsible. Poisoning from consumption of yam flour should be a differential diagnosis of acute seizure disorders or occurrence of vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain in the tropics. It is recommended that education on proper processing of all food products in view of the public health implicatio

Adeleke, SI

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Adeleke SI

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Food poisoning due to yam flour consumption in Kano (Northwest) Nigeria

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Published Quarterly
Mangalore, South India
ISSN 0972-5997
Volume 8, Issue 2; Apr-Jun 2009
Food poisoning due to yam flour consumption in Kano (Northwest) Nigeria
Authors
Adeleke SI, 
Faculty of Medicine, Department of Paediatrics, Bayero University Kano
Address For Correspondence
Dr. Adeleke SI,
Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital,
Department of Paediatrics
Kano.
E-mail: adelekesolo@yahoo.com
Citation
Adeleke SI. Food poisoning due to yam flour consumption in Kano (Northwest) Nigeria. Online J Health Allied Scs.  
2009;8(2):10
URL
http://www.ojhas.org/issue30/2009-2-10.htm 
http://ojhas.org 1
OJHAS Vol 8 Issue  2(10)  Adeleke SI. Food poisoning due to yam flour consumption in Kano (Northwest) Nigeria.
 Case Report
Submitted: May 8, 2009; Accepted Jul 16, 2009 Published: Sep 8, 2009
Abstract:
Food poisoning is known to occur sporadically from time to time due to poor hygienic preparations. Its occurrence 
rarely assumes epidemic proportion. The objective was to report the occurrence of food poisoning due to yam flour 
among three families which occurred almost in quick succession between March and July 2007 among three families 
in Kano. They presented with diarrhea, vomiting,  abdominal pain, convulsion and loss of consciousness. They all 
recovered within 48hours of admission.  Investigations indicated that the use of certain lethal preservatives for the 
processing of the yam flour might be responsible. Poisoning from consumption of yam flour should be a differential  
diagnosis  of  acute  seizure  disorders  or  occurrence of  vomiting,  diarrhea and abdominal  pain in  the  tropics.  It  is 
recommended that education on proper processing of all food products in view of the public health implication.
Key Words: Food poisoning, Yam flour, Kano
Introduction:
Food poisoning could be due to either biological  or 
chemical  causes.  Food  poisoning  actually  occurs 
sporadically.  Its  occurrence does not usually assume 
epidemic level.  Yam flour remains a common staple 
food among the Yarubas in the north central and south 
western Nigeria. It is obtained from processing of yam 
which is the tubers of dioscorea ssp.1 It consumed by 
people in west Africa.1 Nigeria produces about 30mil-
lion tones of yam making it the worlds largest produ-
cers2 of yam. It contains mainly of carbohydrate with 
little amount of proteins, lipids and vitamis.3  some of 
the harvested yam are processed in the south west into 
yam flour and transported1 to other parts of Nigeria for 
family consumption. Most of the poisoning due to yam 
flour was reported from north central and south west 
Nigeria.4 
This communication will report cases of food poison-
ing due to yam flour consumption in Kano, Northwest 
Nigeria, which occurred in quick successions between 
March and July 2007 among three families’ members 
in Kano, (Northwest  Nigeria). The families  involved 
obtained  the  yam  flour  from  the  central  market  in 
Kano city.
Case Report:
Family 1:
Two  siblings  aged  5  and  8  years  presented  to  the 
Emergency Paediatric Unit of Aminu Kano Teaching 
Hospital,  Kano  in  March  2007  with  history  of 
diarrhea,  two  episodes  of  vomiting  and  abdominal 
pain.  The  symptoms  started  about  30minutes  after 
consumption  of a  meal  of yam flour  and okro soup 
prepared by the mother. The eldest child aged 11years 
was not admitted but also had vomiting and abdominal 
pain. The two children were placed on intravenous flu-
ids and were stabilized by next  day;  they were also 
placed  on  ORS.  The  symptoms  resolved  within 
24hours. They all remained stable after at follow – up.
Family 2:
About  three  weeks  after  the  first  family  that  is  in 
April, 2007 a 9 year old child presented with vomiting 
and three episodes of generalized tonic clonic convul-
sion of two hours duration following a meal of yam 
flour with melon sauce taken about three hours earlier 
prepared by the mother. He is not a known seizure dis-
order patient and there was no fever. One other sibling 
developed vomiting but no convulsion. On examina-
tion observed generalized tonic-clonic convulsion and 
altered state of consciousness (Glasgow coma score – 
8).  Paradehyde  and  phenorbarbitone  were  given  to 
stop the convulsion and he was also given parenteral 
bolus of 50% dextrose. The cerebrospinal fluid micro-
scopy, culture and sensitivity, protein and sugar were 
normal.  The  patient  became  fully  conscious  within 
24hours.  The  other  sibling  with  vomiting  remained 
stable at 48hours. They all remained stable at follow-
up.
Family 3:
Four children aged two, four, eight and ten years  of 
the  same  parent  developed  generalized  tonic  clonic 
convulsion about three hours after a meal of yam flour 
with okoro sauce in July, 2007. There were all rushed 
to a private health facilities. There was no neck stiff-
ness cerebrospinal fluid analysis were normal. Each of 
them had two to firm episodes of generalized seizures. 
There  was  no  post-ictal  loss  of  consciousness.  The 
seizures abated with paraldehyde and phenobarbitone. 
They were all discharged after 24hours. They all re-
mained stable at follow-up.
Discussion:
Yam flour is a stable food in most parts of Nigeria es-
pecially some parts of North central and South western 
Nigeria.4 Yam storage before processing to yam flour 
is an elaborate process involving the yam chips been 
preserved  with  pesticides  such  as  gammalin  20  and 
phosphile. Gammalin 20 is commonly used by farm-
ers. These chemicals can be lethal, since it stays on the 
yam chips. It is also heat resistant and so it sticks to 
the yam for a long time despite boiling at very high 
temperature. Phosphile is also used; it releases phos-
phate  gas  to  kill  the  pests.  However,  the  yam flour 
made yam chips treated with phosphile should not be 
eaten for the next three months. This is actually to al-
low the phosphile gas to wear off. Due to the econom-
ic melt down, there was rush to sell this yam flour for 
money.  Yam flour  consumption  was  a common and 
consistent proceeding event in all the patient’s high-
lighted in the case reports. The sauce with which the 
yam flour  was served is unlikely to be the cause of 
food poisoning as the patients took varied sauces.
Stored yam chips generate osmotic pressure under the 
warm and humid tropical climate and it absorbs mois-
ture from the surrounding.5 Vasible moulds growth on 
yam chips are possible. Mycotoxin such as allatoxin 
are toxic metabolites produced by the fungi, they are 
associated  with  mouldy  growth  on  agricultural 
products.6 Aflatoxin beyond the tolerance level in food 
can  produce  effects  such  as  vomiting,  diarrhea  and 
convulsion?
There  was  no  toxicological  assessment  of  the  yam 
flour because non-availability of facilities for this pro-
cedure. The aldrin chemicals used for these agricultur-
al  products could have produced those symptoms in 
these  children.8 Investigations  from the  areas  where 
the yam flour is produced, the preservative commonly 
used  by  farmers  revealed  that  mixture  with  aldrin 
might  have  produced  the  toxic  effects.  The  famers 
were also in hurry to sell or consume the products and 
in the process, went for what the farmers considered 
effective.  The level  of toxicity of aldrin depends on 
the serum level attained after consumption. Concentra-
tions9 of less than 20ug/L were usually associated with 
mild  poisoning  which  involved  symptoms  such  as 
nausea, vomiting and epigastric pain, while concentra-
tions  of  100-200ug/L  were  considered  to  represent 
http://ojhas.org 2
OJHAS Vol 8 Issue  2(10)  Adeleke SI. Food poisoning due to yam flour consumption in Kano (Northwest) Nigeria.
moderate intoxication and were associated with naus-
ea, vomiting, epigastric pain, headache, dizziness and 
convultions.9 Severe cases were associated with levels 
above 700ug/L.9 
The  cases  reported  occurred  during  the  dry  season 
when  the  store  of  food  is  depleted.  Therefore, 
whatever  was  available  were  processed  in  a  hurry 
without going through the due process.
Yam and yam chips are produced and marketed to the 
general  populace  mainly  by  farmers  in  rural  areas. 
Their action is capable of affecting a large number of 
people.  There should be proper  preservation of  yam 
flour by agricultural extension workers. At health fa-
cilities, there must be vigilance for cases of food pois-
oning especially during the dry season. There should 
also be urgent setting up of toxicological centres in the 
geo-political zones of the country.
References:
1. Watt  AW. Yams:  Dioscorea species. Field 
crop 2003;35:792–815.
2. Food and Agricultural organization. Annual 
production book. 2004;108–115.
3. Babalola M, Oyenuga VA. Value of yam Di-
oscorea speiceis. In Nigerian food and feed-
ing stuffs. Ibadan, University Press, Ibadan, 
Nigeria 2001. P 110–114.
4. Adedoyin  OT,  Ojuawo  A,  Adesiyun  OO, 
Mark F, Anigilaje EA. Poisoning due to yam 
flour consumption in five families in Ilorin, 
central  Nigeria.  West  Afr  Med  J 
2008;27(1):41–43.
5. Davey PM, Elcoate S, Moisture content, rel-
ative  humidity  equilbra  of  tropical  stored 
products.  Int  J Crop Prod 1995;104:1108–
1115.
6. Udoh  JM,  Cardwell  JF,  Ikotun  T.  storage 
structures and aflatoxin content of maize in 
five  agro-ecological  zones  of  Nigeria.  J 
stored Prod Res 2000;36:187–201.
7. Adebayo  LO,  Idowu  OO.  Mycoflora  and 
aflotoxin in a West Africa agro-products.  J 
stored Prod Res 2005:41;4387–401.
8. Bara V, Laburnum M. In Paediatric toxico-
logy Handbook for poisoning in children. In 
emergency  Toxicology  2nd ed,  Saunders, 
Philadephia, 1997. P 1067–1079.
9. Kumkel  DB,  Spoerke  DG,  Evaluating  ex-
posures to plants. Emrg Med Clin North Am 
1984;2(1):133–144.
http://ojhas.org 3
OJHAS Vol 8 Issue  2(10)  Adeleke SI. Food poisoning due to yam flour consumption in Kano (Northwest) Nigeria.


Agricultural organization. Annual production book.

Evaluating exposures to plants. Emrg Med Clin North Am 1984;2(1):133–144. http://ojhas.org 3

In Paediatric toxicology Handbook for poisoning in children.

Moisture content, relative humidity equilbra of tropical stored products.

Mycoflora and aflotoxin in a West Africa agro-products.

Poisoning due to yam flour consumption in five families in Ilorin, central Nigeria.

storage structures and aflatoxin content of maize in five agro-ecological zones of Nigeria.

Value of yam Dioscorea speiceis. In Nigerian food and feeding stuffs.

Yams: Dioscorea species. Field crop 2003;35:792–815.

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Food poisoning due to yam flour consumption in Kano (Northwest) Nigeria

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