CHP announces investigation progress of suspected food poisoning cluster related to restaurant in Hung Hom
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The CHP today identified two additional clusters involving the restaurant. Details are as follows:
The first cluster involved 11 females, aged 40 to 75, who developed abdominal pain, fever, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea about 31.5 to 53.5 hours after having dinner at the restaurant on June 25;
The second cluster involved four females, aged 3 to 68, who developed similar symptoms about 20 to 50.5 hours after having lunch at the restaurant on June 25;
Among the two additional clusters, nine of the affected persons have sought medical attention but none required hospitalisation. All affected persons are in stable condition.
Together with the cluster announced yesterday, the CHP has recorded a total of three clusters affecting 25 persons dining in the same restaurant recently. Epidemiological investigations of the CHP revealed that the clusters might have been caused by Salmonella. The CHP has arranged the collection of stool specimen of the admitted patient for testing in order to ascertain the source of infection. It is suspected the food concerned was siu mei.
The CHP conducted a joint investigation against the restaurant with the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today. Initial investigations revealed that that the reasons causing food poisoning include food contamination, inadequate cooking and preparing food too early with improper food holding temperatures. The CFS has collected relevant food samples for testing. Investigation is ongoing.
To prevent foodborne diseases, members of the public are reminded to maintain personal, food and environmental hygiene at all times. When dining out:
- Patronise only reliable and licensed restaurants;
- Avoid eating raw seafood;
- Be a discerning consumer in choosing cold dishes, including sashimi, sushi and raw oysters, at a buffet;
- Ensure food is thoroughly cooked before eating during a hotpot or barbecue meal;
- Handle raw and cooked foods carefully and separate them completely during the cooking process;
- Use two sets of chopsticks and utensils to handle raw and cooked foods;
- Do not patronise illegal food hawkers;
- Drink boiled water;
- Do not try to use salt, vinegar, wine or wasabi to kill bacteria as they are not effective; and
- Always wash hands before eating and after going to the toilet.
Ends/Thursday, June 29, 2023
Issued at HKT 20:46
Issued at HKT 20:46
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