KUALA TERENGGANU: Three night market traders are alleged to have sold contaminated food which led to the death of a boy and caused 101 others, including 18 children, to suffer from food poisoning last Saturday.
State Health director Datuk Dr Anwa Sulaiman said the department had instructed the traders to stop their operations for a week and to carry out cleaning work.
He said 31 samples of food were taken from the traders' kitchen for tests.
"Those suffering from food poisoning claimed that they consumed white fried rice, red fried rice, fried kue tiaw and fried noodles sold at the night markets around Taman Shah Bandar and Padang Hiliran.
"We managed to identify the three traders for further investigation. We do not dismiss the possibility that the food was contaminated with salmonella virus which probably came from uncooked chicken or egg," he told a press conference.
Dr Anwa said 10 samples of faeces of victims had also be taken for tests to determine the actual cause of poisoning.
"As at today, 60 other victims, aged between 10 months and 57 years, are still warded at the Sultanah Nur Zahirah Hospital and they are reported to be in stable condition," he said.
Five-year-old Muhammad Iqbal Rafie Mohd Ilme died while being taken to seek further treatment at the hospital on Monday.
He was reported to have sustained vomiting and diarrhea after eating fried chicken, fried rice and yam juice bought at the night market here. - Bernama
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