A teenager and a two-year-old girl died of food poisoning after eating fried mee hoon (vermicelli) and eggs from a religious school in Gombak recently.
The 17-year-old boy was said to have experienced diarrhoea after eating the food brought home by his mother after she attended an event at the school. He then fell unconscious and was pronounced dead by paramedics called by his father.
The toddler, meanwhile, had displayed similar symptoms after eating the food brought home by her father who was the security guard at the school.
The girl also experienced diarrhoea after eating the food and was taken to a hospital. However, she died while undergoing treatment.
The two bodies were then taken to the Forensics Unit of Selayang Hospital for post -mortem and the cases had been classified as sudden death.
These cases may sound very distant to some of you because you have never come across any food poisoning cases before.
But for me, they are very scary. You see, my niece, Ah Hong, was diagnosed with food poisoning and migraine just a week ago. She had experienced diarrhoea after consuming a packet of fresh sugar cane juice bought by a friend from a stall in Singapore.
She was still suffering from diarrhoea when she went over to Johor Bahru to help her mother (my sister) clean the house the latter rented. She still had diarrhoea when she returned to Singapore a few days later.
Her mother, Ah Lan, and I were like parrots; we kept telling her to consult a doctor so that she could recover. Finally, she went to see a doctor in Singapore. That was when the doctor said she had diarrhoea and migraine and ordered her to rest for three whole days.
After she shared the doctor’s report with me, I messaged her,”Food poisoning dangerous. See this report” and subsequently attached a Bernama report on the Gombak food poisoning case.
Her mother also messaged her,” Ya lah. Must see a doctor. Don’t take it easy. Dangerous.”
Reading about the deaths of the teenager and toddler in Gombak makes me sad. I think it is more tragic because the children had their whole lives ahead of them and had not experienced life before.
It is also unfortunate that two simple caring cases of sharing food from a joyful school event had turned tragic.
Police have, by now, recorded statements from family members and the food supplier involved. Other victims who suffered food poisoning had also been identified.According to Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, the food poisoning incident had also left 82 people with symptoms.
“The Health Ministry and I view this issue seriously. Follow-up action has been taken,” he said in his Facebook post recently.
Dr Dzulkefly has advised organisers and caterers to always ensure the utmost hygiene and food safety when catering for any events. He said children were susceptible to dehydration due to diarrhoea.
“If there are signs such as vomiting, nausea, fatigue and headache, please head to the nearest clinic. Please visit the Emergency Department at the nearest hospital if the situation is serious,” he said.
Indeed, if their parents had sent them to the hospital quickly, perhaps both the boy and toddler in Gombak might be alive today.
The Health Ministry had detected Salmonella in stool samples related to the food poisoning incident.
Results are pending for other samples such as food from the incident, swabs from related surface areas and equipment where food was prepared as well as clinical samples from the food handlers, according to a New Straits Times report.
More victims of food poisoning have also been hospitalised. Those who fell sick ate fried mee hoon and eggs prepared for the school programme.
If you are wondering what Salmonella is, it is a genus of bacteria which commonly causes foodborne illnesses known as salmonellosis.
The bacteria, which are usually found in the intestines of animals and humans, are shed through faeces.
Salmonella infection usually happens through the consumption of contaminated food or water. Common sources of contaminated food or water are undercooked poultry, meat and eggs, raw fruits and vegetables, unpasteurised milk and other dairy products and improper food handling and hygiene practices.
Symptoms include diarrhoea, abdominal cramps, fever, nausea and vomiting, headache and muscle pain.
According to Mayo Clinic in the USA,some people with salmonella infection have no symptoms. Most people develop diarrhoea, fever and stomach (abdominal) cramps within 8 to 72 hours after exposure. Most healthy people recover within a few days to a week without specific treatment.
In some cases, however, diarrhoea can cause severe dehydration and requires prompt medical attention. Life-threatening complications also may develop if the infection spreads beyond the intestines.
It says the risk of getting salmonella infection is higher if one travels to countries without clean drinking water and proper sewage disposal.
Meanwhile, a senior lecturer at the Nutrition, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Department, Universiti Putra Malaysia, interviewed by The Star has pointed out that eggs are often linked to bacterial infections like salmonella which can occur when eggshells are contaminated with infected chicken droppings or faeces residue.
Dr Siti Raihanah Shafie said it was essential to handle eggs carefully, wash it thoroughly and store it properly.
She added that eggs should be checked for cracks and stains to prevent salmonella from transferring from the shells to the eggs’ contents.
My friends, after listening to Dr Siti’s advices, I am looking at eggs with different eyes. I will now check each and every egg for cracks and stains before buying them.
I will not take diarrhoea lightly, too, especially after the tragic deaths of the boy and toddler in Gombak.
What about you, my friends?
