KUALA LUMPUR – Tainted fried bihun and eggs served at a school in Gombak, Selangor last Friday, caused two deaths and 82 people to fall ill, the state health department said today.
The deaths of a 17-year-old boy and a female toddler, which were earlier confirmed by police, were the result of a food poisoning outbreak at the school which had held a Islamic charity skills programme for the Gombak district involving 30 primary schools on June 8.
Department director Dr Ummi Kalthom Shamsudin said 247 people had been exposed to the tainted food, of which 33% or 82 of them experienced symptoms.
“They developed symptoms after eating the breakfast provided to the teachers and members of the programme’s secretariat by an external food operator.
“The food poisoning is suspected to have been caused by fried bihun and fried eggs that allegedly were different in appearance and taste.
“The main symptoms reported were diarrhoea, abdominal pain, fever, vomiting and nausea.”
Ummi Kalthom said all those affected by food poisoning were aged 58 years and below, with the youngest being one year and seven-months old – who was the toddler who died.
No one was admitted to hospital but 28 people were given outpatient treatment. The two deaths reported did not receive treatment.
The department is still on alert for new cases arising from this food poisoning episode and urged members of the public who attended the event and who experience symptoms to immediately seek treatment at any health facility.
Ummi Kalthom added that food samples have been taken for testing to ascertain the contaminant.
The 17-year-old’s death was reported yesterday, while police earlier today confirmed that the toddler died from eating food from the same school.
Both of the deceased had a parent who brought food home from the school on Friday, and both of them died yesterday after experiencing symptoms. – June 11, 2024