KOTA KINABALU: A Year Four pupil who died of suspected food poisoning in the east coast Sandakan district is believed to have consumed cheese tarts, says Dr Asits Sanna.
The Sabah health director said the boy’s father had purchased the cheese tarts from a shop before bringing them home, where his 10-year-old son and wife ate them on July 23.
“The boy subsequently experienced diarrhoea, fever and loss of appetite,” he said in a statement on Sunday.
“On July 24, the child had a seizure and was rushed by a family member to hospital for treatment.”
Dr Asits said immediate emergency treatment was administered to the unconscious boy, adding that the victim also required respiratory assistance.
“The boy was warded in the paediatric ward before he was confirmed to have died,” he said, adding that he expressed his condolences to the family.
He said it was learnt that the child’s mother experienced similar symptoms and was treated in the women’s medical ward at the Duchess of Kent Hospital.
“However, the full history of the boy’s movement and exposure to food as well as the cause of death are still under investigation,” said Dr Asits.
He said samples had been taken to aid the probe.
“We advise those who come down with symptoms of food poisoning to seek treatment immediately,” he added.
He said the department, with the help of the Sandakan health office, would continue to monitor the situation and provide updates from time to time.
Early last month, a food poisoning incident in Selangor resulted in two fatalities and 82 people experiencing symptoms believed to have originated from a meal of fried mee hoon and eggs.
The food in question was served at a school event in Gombak on June 8. The two who died on June 10 were a 17-year-old male and a 19-month-old toddler.
A total of 28 cases had outpatient treatment while there were no hospital admissions, Selangor health director Dr Ummi Kalthom Shamsudin said on June 11.
