Poisoning caused by sago: Study

A STUDY by Dr Milla Gena made a breakthrough into the cause of sago-poisoning related deaths in Western during the late 1990s and early 2002.
Gena presented her findings at a public seminar organised by PNG Association of Professional Evaluators on Friday.
She said the deaths were due to consumption of sago that was contaminated with an unknown toxin.
Gena said the first reported case was 40 years ago in Maprik, East Sepik, and Balimo in Western, but it originated from Suki village in Western.
She said her research was to unravel the speculation of the Ok Tedi Mine being the cause of the deaths.
“There are a lot of background stories that happened in Western,” she said.
“Because the community was fearful that the waste was from the mine, they brought it to police, health and then the company.
“So with this study, we wanted to unravel what really was causing the sudden deaths. Was it due to a disease or due to a toxin?”
With funding from the mine, Gena enrolled at James Cook University in Australia for her research.
Meanwhile, a former police officer said Gena’s finding was a medical breakthrough that could be linked to the mysterious deaths reported in Western.
Jolam Joseph, who worked along the border of PNG and Indonesia, said the study now linked to the number of suspicious deaths reported in the late 1990s and early 2002.
“The suspicious deaths became very obvious dating back to 1994 and it started off at the refugee camp where an elderly man was found dead,” Joseph said.
“That escalated to a big fight involving refugees and locals with other mysterious deaths reported along the Fly River.
“Ok Tedi Mine was worried about its shipment down the Fly River so police had to be called in on high alert patrolling the river.
“Although we brought in medical teams, the locals claimed that the deaths were sorcery related but now with the study, people are better informed and would take measures.”