Update on suspected food poisoning outbreak related to restaurant in Kowloon Bay

     The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health today (June 6) reported an update on its investigations announced on June 3 into a suspected outbreak of food poisoning related to a restaurant in Kowloon Bay.

     To date, 13 clusters involving 32 persons have been identified. The affected persons comprise 13 males and 19 females aged 3 to 54. The patients developed abdominal pain, vomiting, fever and diarrhoea about four to 27 hours after having meals at the restaurant or consuming meals bought from there on June 2.
 
    Twenty-nine of the affected sought medical attention and seven required hospitalisation. Among them, two have been discharged upon management. All patients are in stable condition.

     "Epidemiological investigations show that all cases had meals from the restaurant concerned before investigation and control measures instituted by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD). We have alerted the FEHD to the additional clusters and investigations are ongoing," a spokesman for the CHP said.

     To prevent food-borne 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 hot pot 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 food;
• Do not patronise illegal food hawkers;
• Drink boiled water;
• Do not try to use salt, vinegar, wine and wasabi to kill bacteria as they are not effective; and
• Always wash hands before eating and after going to the toilet.