Health officials in St Catherine are reporting three deaths from ackee poisoning.
Richard Baker, the Acting Chief Public Health Inspector for the parish, confirmed the deaths while addressing Thursday's sitting of the St. Catherine Parish Council.
He also provided an update on 18 confirmed cases of ackee poisoning.
"To date we have had 18 cases in the parish, mostly in the Linstead area. The deaths are from the areas in Spanish Town and Portmore," he said.
Last month, Mr. Baker disclosed that several persons had turned up at health facilities in St. Catherine with symptoms associated with ackee poisoning.
At the time, he said his department would have been conducting an investigation to determine the circumstances surrounding the cases of poisoning.
Late last month, the government confirmed six deaths from ackee poisoning in St. Ann and St. Mary.
It was reported that the deaths were due to the consumption of ackees with high levels of a toxin called hypoglycin, which is contained in the un-ripened fruit.
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