CHP investigates food poisoning cluster
The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health is today (December 16) investigating a food poisoning cluster affecting 13 persons, and reminded the public to maintain personal, food and environmental hygiene to prevent foodborne diseases.
The cluster involved 12 males and one female aged between 27 and 61, who developed abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea about 13 to 54 hours after having a buffet lunch at Billow Bar Seafood Bistro located in Tai Po on December 8.
Six of the affected persons sought medical advice. None required hospitalisation.
Initial investigations by the CHP revealed that the affected persons had consumed common food including raw oysters. The incident might have been caused by norovirus.
Personnel from the CHP and the Centre for Food Safety of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department have conducted an inspection at the restaurant, and instructed the premises concerned to suspend serving incriminated food items with immediate effect, carry out cleaning and disinfection of the premises and improve food preparation process and food hygiene. The officers have also provided health education related to food safety and environmental hygiene to the staff of the premises.
Norovirus infection typically causes acute gastroenteritis. It is also a common cause of food poisoning and is very often related to consumption of undercooked or raw shellfish. The disease affects people of all age groups and tends to be more common during winter.
To prevent foodborne diseases, members of the public are reminded to maintain personal, food and environmental hygiene at all times. When dining out, one should:
Avoid eating raw seafood;
Be a discerning consumer in choosing cold dishes, including sashimi, sushi and raw oysters at a buffet;
Choose pasteurised eggs, egg products or dried egg powder for dishes that often use lightly cooked or uncooked eggs;
Patronise only reliable and licensed restaurants;
Store and reheat pre-cooked or leftover foods properly before consumption;
Ensure food is thoroughly cooked before eating during a hotpot or barbecue meal;
Handle raw and cooked foods carefully and separate them completely during the cooking process;
Use two sets of chopsticks and utensils to handle raw and cooked foods;
Avoid patronising illegal food hawkers;
Drink boiled water;
Refrain from trying to use salt, vinegar, wine or wasabi to kill bacteria as they are not effective; and
Always wash hands before eating and after going to the toilet.
Remarks by FS at media session (with photo/video)
The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan; the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Christopher Hui, and the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Algernon Yau, together with the Chief Executive Officer of the Securities and Futures Commission, Ms Julia Leung, and the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, Mr Eddie Yue, met the media this evening (April 7). Following are Mr Chan's remarks at the media session:
Reporter: What tools does the Government have to handle the situation of the market and will Hong Kong consider a national team investor equivalent to intervene? Should the markets keep dropping, what is the bottom line for the state of the market before countermeasures will be considered?
Financial Secretary: I think Julia has explained very clearly the situation in the Hong Kong stock market. Basically, the market has been functioning orderly. There are substantial selling but also buying interests. The spread between the two has been very tight, indicating that the buying power remains very strong.
Hong Kong is a free port, and we encourage capital and investors from different parts of the world to take part in our capital market. Over the years, we have been taking a number of measures to enhance the competitiveness and attractiveness of our capital market, no matter whether it is improving the listing regime, lowering the transaction costs, expanding the markets, attracting investors and capital from around the world, or offering new products such as the ETF (exchange-traded fund) listed on the Saudi stock exchange (and investing in the Hong Kong stock market). All in all, we will persistently and consistently push forward initiatives on various fronts. With an expanding market and more participants from different parts of the world, the liquidity and resilience of our market will be enhanced. The resilience of our market has been very strong. We do not think the current volatility in the market warrants the taking of any drastic measures.
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the remarks.)
Remarks by FS at media session (with photo/video) Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
