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The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) today (August 2) ordered the temporary closure of a cooked food stall in Chai Wan for thorough disinfection following the detection of Vibrio cholerae in a water sample collected from its fish tank.
The stall is located at stall no. 5 of Yue Wan Market Cooked Food Centre, Yee Fung Street, Chai Wan. The water sample was taken from a fish tank inside the stall on July 29. The test result obtained today confirmed the presence of Vibrio cholerae O1 E1 Tor serotype Ogawa.
To protect public health, the Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene ordered the immediate closure of the cooked food stall under the Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance.
The cooked food stall 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. Additionally, the FEHD will step up cleaning operations within the Cooked Food Centre.
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/Saturday, August 2, 2014
Issued at HKT 17:26
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