A suspected poisoning at a Markham, Ontario, restaurant has made at least 12 people seriously ill — with four of those requiring intensive care in hospital — and the culprit could be a substance sometimes used in traditional Chinese medicine, according to health experts.
Dr. Barry Bucks, York-area health medical officer, told CBC Toronto on Tuesday that all patients who fell ill after dining at Delight Restaurant & BBQ over the weekend were “in good shape” and expected to recover.
The York-area public health investigation is ongoing, Bucks said, and no firm conclusions can yet be drawn about the cause of their illness. But their symptoms suggest that they may have eaten aconite, sometimes called the curse of the wolf or the queen of poisons, which is derived from a particular genus of plants.
The substance affects the nerves that control the muscles in the body, resulting in numbness of the face and extremities, severe digestive distress, and in some cases, an irregular heartbeat. Consuming aconite in large enough quantities can lead to fatal arrhythmias.
listen | Dr. Barry Pikes on the investigation underway in the York area:
morning metro7:49An investigation into possible poisoning at the Markham restaurant is underway after four people were sent to the intensive care unit
Dr. Barry Beaks is the York Region Medical Officer for Health.
Symptoms usually begin within minutes or hours of ingesting aconite, said Dr. David Gorlink, chair of the department of clinical pharmacology and toxicology at the University of Toronto. Juurlink has not personally treated any of the people who contracted the disease in this case, but said he spoke directly to colleagues who treated it. He said it seemed that all the patients had eaten a chicken dish in the restaurant.
York Public Health is currently testing various samples taken from the restaurant, which is currently closed. Pax said the owners were cooperating fully with the investigation, and there was no indication that the poisoning was intentional.
He cited a recent case in British Columbia in which aconite was accidentally mixed with ground ginger root. The two articles look similar.
Bucks said he expects to have more updates to the public later today or in the coming days, at the latest.
Anyone eating dinner at a restaurant, ordering takeout or delivery is required to remove any food from the restaurant.
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