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The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (June 17) ordered the temporary closure of a restaurant in Central for thorough disinfection following detection of Vibrio cholerae in a water sample collected from its fish tank.
The restaurant, Hei Yuet Restaurant, is located at 162 Queen's Road Central.
The water sample was taken from the restaurant on June 13. The test result today confirmed the presence of Vibrio cholerae O1 El Tor serotype Ogawa.
To protect public health, the Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene ordered the immediate closure of the restaurant under the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance.
The restaurant will remain closed for thorough cleansing and disinfection of the premises and fish tanks until the Director is satisfied with the overall hygiene condition of the premises and that there is no immediate health hazard.
A department spokesman said, "Vibrio cholerae cannot survive under high temperature and can be killed by thorough cooking."
To prevent cholera, the spokesman advised people to observe the following guidelines:
* Wash and scrub shellfish thoroughly;
* Clean the seafood and remove the internal organs, and cook thoroughly before consumption;
* Raw and cooked food must be handled with separate sets of utensils to avoid cross-contamination; and
* Raw and cooked food should be stored separately. Cooked food should be placed on the upper shelf of a refrigerator.
"People should also pay attention to personal and food hygiene," he said.
Ends/Friday, June 17, 2011
Issued at HKT 23:51
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