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With the approach of summer, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) today (July 27) urged the public to take precautions against cholera and food poisoning when eating or drinking both at home and outside.
"These diseases are more common in the summer season and common causes include eating unclean food or drinking contaminated water. In the past, cases of cholera and food poisoning occurred due to consumption of raw or improperly cooked seafood like shrimps, crabs, oysters and cockles etc," said a spokesman for the FEHD.
"The hot and humid summer will lead to a speedy multiplication of germs resulting in greater risk of contracting food-borne diseases. People are strongly advised to be cautious in choosing cold dishes including raw oysters, sashimi and salads.
"As cold dishes are normally not cooked/reheated before consumption, any pathogens that exist are not killed. Therefore, they are considered as high risk foods. Pathogenic organisms in such foods will multiply quickly and may cause food poisoning and other food-borne diseases like cholera if ingested.
"Cholera is an infection caused by Vibrio cholerae. Its incubation period ranges from a few hours to five days. Symptoms can include diarrhoea and vomiting. The rapid onset of severe watery diarrhoea will cause dehydration. If treatment is delayed or inadequate, death may follow very shortly. Cholera is transmitted by eating or drinking food or water soiled by patients or carriers," he explained.
Members of the public should observe the following proper practice in environmental, food and personal hygiene to ensure that the food they consume is safe and free from contamination. This will guard against food poisoning and cholera effectively:
When having or preparing meals at home:
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Environmental Hygiene
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* Keep the kitchen clean;
* Use clean cooking utensils.
Food Hygiene
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* Avoid preparing excessive cooked food. If leftovers are kept, they must be stored in refrigerators at a temperature below four degree Celsius. Leftovers must be reheated thoroughly before consumption. Discard the food if in doubt;
* Eat cooked food while it is still hot;
* Raw and cooked food should be stored separately. Cooked food should be placed in the upper part of the refrigerator so as to prevent it from contamination by drippings of raw food;
* Raw and cooked food must be handled with separate sets of knife, chopping board and utensil to avoid cross-contamination;
* Proper handling of seafood: Scrub and rinse in clean water. Remove the viscera or shells. Cooked thoroughly before consumption;
* Defrost food only when needed;
* Boil water thoroughly before drinking.
Personal Hygiene
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* Wash hands with soap and water before preparing food and eating.
When eating outside:
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Purchase
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* Do not patronise unlicensed food premises or illegal cooked food hawkers;
* People should only purchase foods eaten raw such as sashimi and rock oyster from reliable and reputable sources to ensure the quality;
* When purchasing siu mei and lo mei, make sure that:
- All food is stored inside the showcases;
- Food handlers have good personal hygiene and wear clean;
- Cooked and raw food is not displayed for sale in the same
premises.
Consume
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* People eating raw seafood (like shrimps, crabs, oysters and cockles etc.) will easily contract gastrointestinal diseases such as cholera. So avoid eating raw seafood. Do not believe the myth that condiments such as salt, vinegar, wine and wasabi can kill bacteria.
End/Saturday, July 27, 2002
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