Lychee is a very popular summer fruit in our country. Most of us, particularly the children, love this succulent and delicious fruit. However, we must not forget the sudden death of 13 children in northern Bangladesh after eating lychees in 2012. A study published in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene has linked the deaths to excessive and improper applications of insecticides and other agriculture chemicals in lychee fruit orchards. In a similar kind of incident, more than 100 children died in 2014 in India's Muzaffarpur.
Lychees are safe. But your children may fall in trouble if they eat unripe lychees (the small green ones) in an empty stomach, according to another study. It reportedly contains some toxins that may cause vomiting if a large number of lychees are eaten. It may also cause fever and seizures. For very serious cases, especially, if the child is severely malnourished, hospitalization may be necessary. Based on these findings, we urge everyone to make sure that the children are not consuming lychees in empty stomachs. Especially, they should be kept away from unripe ones.
Abu Elias Linkon,
Banasree, Dhaka,
lightening_sparkle@yahoo.com