Siblings’ death: What killed them?

We may never find out what killed Nathan D'Souza and his older sister Chelsea.

XPRESS has learnt that this week's autopsy done on the siblings has failed to conclusively establish the exact cause of their death. When asked if the children died of multiple organ failure following suspected food poisoning, a source familiar with the forensic examination of the children's bodies said emphatically on Tuesday: “We don't know.''

The source confirmed that the bodies are ready to be handed over to the family.

A number of samples from the bodies have been sent to a laboratory in Europe for investigation and it may be weeks before they are able to isolate the toxin that killed them, he said, declining to identify the samples.

“You need to identify the toxin of the bacteria and it can't be done here as there is no lab in the entire Middle East to diagnose food poisoning,'' the source said.

“You need anti-serum to detect toxins and these anti-serums are not available here,'' he said, adding that the shelf life of anti-serums is only three months.

The source said there are a few labs in the world which conduct such examinations.

“There are only two such labs in the United States,'' he said. “Everything is being done to investigate the case,'' he said. “Sometimes science will not give you all the answers,'' he added.

What happened that day?

The children's father Patrick D'Souza told XPRESS on Wednesday that on June 12 the children visited Sahara Mall in Sharjah in the afternoon with their mother Ann-Sofia.

He said Nathan ate a doughnut there while Chelsea had an ice-cream and Ann-Sofia a cappuccino.

Later at around 7.30pm, all three sat down for a meal of fried rice and noodles ordered from Lotus Garden Restaurant in Al Qusais, D'Souza said, adding that he was not at home at that time. “The housemaid had taken her day off,'' he said. But the maid came home later that evening and consumed the same food.

Some media reports earlier suggested that the maid, who was also treated for food poisoning, had not taken the food.

D'Souza said his wife and children who started vomiting in the night were rushed to NMC Hospital at around 2.30am.

They were released after treatment. Next day, Nathan's condition worsened and he was rushed to the hospital again. It was reported that Nathan was pronounced dead on arrival at NMC. But when XPRESS asked for confirmation, D'Souza said, “It is not true. Why didn't they treat him?''

Chelsea died at Dubai Hospital a day later.

Immunity levels

Early this week, officials widened the investigation into the case to look into possible causes of the children's death as many others had consumed food from Lotus Garden Restaurant on that day but had not complained of food poisoning.

However, two specialist doctors who declined to comment on the case, said that in general not all people consuming the same contaminated food are likely to be affected by food poisoning.

“It depends on individual levels of immunity and resistance,'' Dr Omar Iqbal Rathore, Specialist Gastroenterologist at Welcare Hospital, said. “Even among those affected, the severity of symptoms can vary,'' he added.

“Food poisoning especially affects young children as their resistance is comparatively low,'' Dr Abraham Mathew, a specialist who runs Mathew Medical Centre in Sharjah, said.

Nathan was five and his sister was seven years old.

Dr Rathore said the use of frozen, packaged and semi-prepared foods lends itself to a certain level of risk, especially in the hot and humid conditions of the UAE, if these are not properly stored.

“Improper storage and refrigeration results in the growth of bacteria,'' he said.

Popular restaurant

Meanwhile, a notice on the glass doors of the Lotus Garden restaurant said that it was closed for maintenance. Shopkeepers in the area said the eatery was popular and enjoyed brisk business, especially during weekends.
While some restaurants in the neighbourhood reported a drop in their own businesses after the closure of Lotus Garden, others said it didn't make a difference.

‘How adequate is our healthcare?'

“Food poisoning can happen to anyone but the more important question that people need to ask is the adequacy of healthcare facilities to address the problem,'' Patrick D'Souza, the father of Nathan and Chelsea, told XPRESS on Wednesday.

He regretted that the hospitals which admitted the children could not save their lives. “They were explained all the symptoms, which are common and available even on the internet,'' he said.

“Why couldn't the doctors administer the right medicines?'' he asked. “How equipped are our hospitals, how adequate is our healthcare?'' he wanted to know.