Jamaicans are being advised that thee is no need to be fearful when consuming ackee following a recent revelation by the Ministry of Health that 23 persons have died from ackee poisoning over the past three months while another 194 cases have been recorded.
The advice has come from Seymour Webster, Lecturer at the College of Agriculture, Science and Education and doctoral candidate, who presented a paper on Demystifying Ackee Poisoning in Jamaica on Thursday.
On Tuesday, the Ministry of Health reported that 23 persons died from ackee poisoning between December 1 and February 16, 2011.
Mr. Webster noted that the shorter days and colder climate contributed to a delayed opening of the fruit.
"When that is coupled with the short day length, that is where we think the problem lies. There is not enough time for the ackee and its toxic metabolite to be disintegrated by the enzyme because we are prognosticating that the enzyme is activated or its catalytic activity is increased with sunlight," he said.
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