Woman Dead After Eating At Geylang Serai Food Stall

[des_yeo03]

SINGAPORE : A woman died in hospital Monday morning after becoming ill from a meal consumed at a food stall in a Geylang Serai market.

57—year—old Madam Aminah Samijo died after suffering from severe food poisoning after having eaten at the Rojak Geylang Serai stall last Friday.

She later went into a coma, making her the worst hit among the more than 100 people who also sought treatment after eating at the stall.

The Health Ministry confirmed that Madam Aminah died at 6.50am at the Changi General Hospital on Monday.

Her body has been moved to the Singapore General Hospital for autopsy.

— 938Live/sf

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/cna/20090406/tap-416-woman-dead-eating-geylang-serai-231650b.html

[Leslie]

Sibei fierce. My guess is that she had some sort of pre-existing condition and the food poisoning exacerbated/aggravated/did something to it. Maybe liver or kidney failure or something.

[Hades]

I think the stall owner also very sibei jialiak which got into this state. Fine and jail definitetly getsit :|

[des_yeo03]

Geylang Serai market to be closed for 2 days for routine cleaning

SINGAPORE: Following the food poisoning outbreak at the Geylang Serai Temporary Market, the market’s management committee has decided to bring forward a routine spring cleaning exercise originally scheduled for next Monday and Tuesday.

All stallholders will have to close and clean their stalls on Wednesday and Thursday.

According to the National Environment Agency (NEA), the hygiene standards of the market’s stalls remain satisfactory and NEA will continue its close surveillance.

NEA officers have also briefed all the 82 cooked food stallholders and reminded them to practise good food and personal hygiene standards at all times.

Over at Waterloo Street, it is almost business as usual and rojak is one of the more popular items on its menu. But since the Geylang Serai food poisoning incident over the weekend, business has fallen slightly.

Although the demand for the dish may not be red—hot, most customers said the incident has not curbed their appetite.

One customer said: "If it’s clean, I will eat it. Not all stalls are bad.

"All along, it’s fine and there were no problems. It’s probably just a one—off issue," said a man in the street.

Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan said this incident should serve as a reminder of the importance of public hygiene.

Mr Khaw said: "This is a serious problem. But as consumers ourselves, I think, requiring that Singaporeans raise their standards of hygiene, personal as well as public hygiene, I think that is a continuous challenge. That we must always remind ourselves to do."

Mr Khaw said food handlers, in particular, bear a heavy responsibility to ensure such incidents do not recur.

He added the authorities are committed to finding out the cause of the incident. — CNA/vm

Source (http://sg.news.yahoo.com/cna/20090408/tap-809-sporeans-say-arent-fazed-rojak-f-231650b.html)

[des_yeo03]

One more victim dies in Geylang food poisoning incident

SINGAPORE: The mass food poisoning outbreak involving an Indian rojak stall at the Geylang Serai temporary market has claimed its second victim.

Norani Kassim, 59, who was warded in Alexandra Hospital, died shortly before 10am on Wednesday.

The hospital said she was warded with food poisoning on Saturday.

To date, the outbreak has killed another woman, 57—year—old canteen assistant, Aminah Samijo and caused a 38—year—old expectant mother, Rosiah Samat, to miscarry.

— 938LIVE/yt

Source (http://sg.news.yahoo.com/cna/20090408/tap-957-one-victim-dies-geylang-food-poi-231650b.html)

[Hades]

I think this indian stall owner seriously need some harsh canning man :angry:

2 victims dead and 1 miscarriage :| Poor thing :(

[des_yeo03]

2 more struck by food poisoning after eating at Geylang restaurant

SINGAPORE : Two more people have come down with food poisoning after eating at the steamboat restaurant BaShu RenJia in Geylang on Friday, bringing the total number of cases to 14.

Two were hospitalised, and one of them has since been discharged

The case comes hot on the heels of another mass food poisoning case involving a rojak stall at Geylang Serai Temporary Market.

The steamboat restaurant operator said that after the incident on Friday, five officers from the National Environment Agency (NEA) came to collect food samples for testing.

A joint statement from the Health Ministry and NEA said that they did not detect any hygiene lapses likely to be linked to the food poisoning, after conducting checks on the premises.

And so while the shop will remain in operation, the operator has advised its customers to ensure their food is thoroughly cooked before consumption.

However, 13 of its food handlers have been sent for screening at the Communicable Disease Centre.

The place, which has a "B" grade for hygiene, said it has since beefed up its level of cleanliness.

Wu Xiao Ju, worker, said: "After the incident, we cleaned every corner of the place. It has been cleaned thoroughly. Our ingredients are fresh and the food items are prepared every day. And we use detergent to clean the tables, floor and walls."

The restaurant said it received many calls from concerned customers following the incident.

Business has since dropped by half, but some customers are still patronising the place.

One customer said: "I am confident of the food quality at this restaurant. I am not worried at all."

The restaurant said some customers who are not used to the spiciness of the steamboat could end up with upset stomachs.

Channel NewsAsia spoke with Wang Zhen Hui, one of the people affected by the food poisoning. He and seven others were hit after eating at the place Friday night. Mr Wang ended up in hospital.

He said: "When I was at the hospital, I met this stranger. He was on the bed next to me. He had the same symptoms. He also ate the steamboat that night. So I guessed it could be the plates because they felt very oily."

He was discharged on Saturday afternoon to recuperate at home while his friends received outpatient treatment. — CNA/ms

Source (http://sg.news.yahoo.com/cna/20090412/tap-853-2-struck-food-poisoning-eating-g-231650b.html)

[des_yeo03]

Three new cases in steamboat food poisoning

SINGAPORE: Three more people have food poisoning after eating at the steamboat restaurant BaShu RenJia at Geylang Road, bringing the total number of cases to 17.

These cases developed the onset of illness between 9 and 11 April. They had consumed food at the steamboat restaurant from 9 to 10 April.

All except two patients received outpatient treatment. The two hospitalised patients have since been discharged.

Meanwhile no new cases were reported from the "Rojak Geylang Serai" stall’s mass food poisoning incident.

Stool cultures of five food handlers from the "Rojak Geylang Serai" stall have tested negative for Vibrio parahaemolyticus bacteria which was found in 12 cases.

The result for the food handler from the neighbouring mee siam stall is still pending.

In a bid to win customers’ confidence after the "Rojak Geylang Serai" stall’s food poisoning outbreak, three temporary markets have brought forward their spring cleaning exercise.

At the Albert Centre Temporary Market, over 170 stalls took part in the National Environment Agency’s Spring Cleaning Exercise on Monday morning.

Besides the stalls, ceilings, fans and other shared spaces were also cleaned.

NEA officers did not report any rat problems at the market. But the hygiene ratings for the 73 cooked food stalls in the market have fallen after it moved to the temporary premises near Bugis MRT Station.

NEA’s grading assessment three months after the move showed two stalls losing their "A" rating, while more than 40 stalls lost their "B" ratings. And the "C" ratings saw a threefold increase.

NEA cites the housekeeping and poorer fittings and fixtures at the temporary premises as reasons for the change in ratings.

Two other temporary markets — at Ang Mo Kio and Tekka — also brought forward their spring cleaning exercise to Monday.

Spring cleaning for the temporary market near Ang Mo Kio Block 628 was scheduled on 27 April, while the Tekka Temporary Market was supposed to conduct its spring cleaning in May.

— CNA/ir

Source (http://sg.news.yahoo.com/cna/20090413/tap-062-three-new-cases-steamboat-food-p-231650b.html)

[des_yeo03]

Rojak stall owner faces court action over mass food poisoning

SINGAPORE: Authorities have decided to prosecute the rojak stall holder at the centre of a food poisoning outbreak in Singapore.

The "Rojak Geylang Serai" stall owner’s licence will be suspended pending the outcome of the court action, said a joint statement by the Ministry of Health (MOH) and National Environment Agency (NEA).

The MOH said it has concluded its investigations into the food poisoning cases linked to the stall at Geylang Serai Temporary Market.

"The cause has been identified as a common source outbreak of Vibrio parahaemolyticus traced to the cross—contamination of rojak and raw seafood ingredients harbouring the bacteria," said MOH.

"Laboratory investigation confirmed 13 of the cases to be positive for Vibrio parahaemolyticus, including the first fatal case," it added.

There were altogether 154 cases. Forty—eight of the patients had to be hospitalised, two of whom died. The MOH said death associated with the bacteria is rare, and it is awaiting the coroner’s report on the two deaths.

No food remnants were available for microbiological testing because the "Rojak Geylang Serai" stall had been cleared out by the operators and the rojak food items and gravy discarded as soon as they received customer complaints.

Nonetheless, MOH and NEA investigators detected some lapses in food and environmental hygiene.

While the exact steps leading to the contamination of the rojak food items or gravy are still unclear, MOH and NEA said their investigators could draw some insights from a previous case on how this could have occurred.

In 1983, a similar outbreak of food poisoning involving 34 cases was traced to the consumption of Indian Rojak from a market stall, also at Geylang Serai. In this case, the food was prepared at an unlicensed premises at Joo Chiat, where abundant drippings from raw cuttlefish were found to have contaminated the rojak gravy in uncovered containers on the lower shelves of a refrigerator.

As for the food poisoning outbreak at the steamboat restaurant in Geylang, the authorities have been notified of another two cases, bringing the total to 19.

13 food handlers at the steamboat restaurant have also been directed to undergo screening and their results are pending.

The authorities advise the public to take note of personal hygiene and the area’s cleanliness, especially when eating out. — CNA /ls

Source (http://sg.news.yahoo.com/cna/20090414/tap-309-vibrio-parahaemolyticus-bacteria-231650b.html)

[pikachuw]

this whole episode is really sad. and i hope it won't happens again, no good for sg reputation n economy growth in a time like this.

[Hades]

just suspended only??? It seems like the sentenced for him is too light :| Anyway, will still wait for further updates

Oh yah, if his licence was suspended, his son still can apply a new one wasn't it?? End up, the families still doing rojak business but with different bname :|

[des_yeo03]

just suspended only??? It seems like the sentenced for him is too light :|

Suspend first, pending the outcome of the case. :)