36 down with food poisoning
Roti john and burgers - filepic
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PUTRAJAYA: Thirty-six people are down with food poisoning after eating Roti John(beef or chicken sandwiches) bought from a stall at a Ramadan bazaar in Taman Seri Muda, Shah Alam, the Health Ministry said.
Health director-general Datuk Seri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said no deaths had been reported but 24 of them were still being treated in hospitals and 12 were given outpatient treatment.
“Preliminary results from five clinical specimens found that the victims had suffered from salmonella spp. Tests on specimens from the food operator and environmental swabs are still ongoing. The results will be known within the next two days,” he said.
He was responding to two news reports on Friday, which claimed that a number of people were admitted to the hospital after eating Roti John from the Taman Seri Muda bazaar.
He said the ministry would carry out measures to curb the outbreak and work with local authorities to ensure food safety was maintained at all Ramadan bazaars.
He advised food stall owners to be responsible and maintain cleanliness of their surroundings. “The public should only patronise stalls which are hygienic and report cases of dirty food operators to the Health Office or local authorities,” he added.
