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The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health and the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department are investigating if contaminated raw sea urchins were related to a series of suspected food poisoning cases involving a chained Japanese restaurant and a chained Japanese noodle shop earlier this week.
A CHP spokesman today (July 7) said preliminary investigations into reports of suspected food poisoning involving the food premises concerned indicated that most of the affected people had taken sea urchins before onset of food poisoning symptoms.
The spokesman said so far a total of 66 people in 24 groups felt unwell after having meals at the four outlets of the Japanese restaurant in Hung Hom, Causeway Bay and Quarry Bay between June 27 and July 3.
Laboratory tests on the stool sample of one of the patients was positive for Vibrio parahaemolyticus, a bacteria usually found in sea food and associated with food poisoning.
The affected persons comprised 23 males and 43 females who are at the age between 7 and 75. Two of them were admitted to public hospitals and have been discharged.
Meanwhile, the CHP has received two reports of suspected food poisoning involving seven people who patronized the outlets of a Japanese noodle chain shop in Olympian City and Heng Fa Chuen. Investigation revealed that most of the affected persons also had taken raw sea urchins before onset of symptoms.
The affected people in two groups, comprising two men and five women aged between 8 and 57, developed symptoms including diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain, nausea and fever about 3 to 23 hours after having meals in the shops in question on July 2 and 3 respectively.
Two of them sought medical treatment from the Accident and Emergency Departments of public hospitals and two consulted general practitioners. Their symptoms were generally mild and none required hospitalization.
Investigations by CHP and CFS are in progress.
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Initial investigations by CFS found that the raw sea urchins were supplied by the same supplier, Ho¡¦s Brother¡¦s Sea Food Company. CFS has requested the supplier to stop distributing the product.
The CFS reminded retail outlets to take the following steps when preparing and selling sushi/sashimi:
* obtain sushi/sashimi from credible sources;
* use separate equipment for the preparation of sushi/sashimi;
* keep sushi/sashimi separated from other food items at a temperature between 0 and 4 degrees Celsius.
Ends/Friday, July 7, 2006
Issued at HKT 20:19
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