TELUK INTAN: Tom yam fried rice from a secondary school canteen here is suspected to be the cause food poisoning involving 43 students in April.
Perak human resources, health, Indian community affairs and national integration committee chairman A. Sivanesan said the source of infection is believed to be food prepared by the canteen in Sekolah Menengah San Min here on April 21.
He said the case was first detected when two students exhibited food poisoning symptoms on April 22, followed by an official notification to the Hilir Perak district health office two days later.
"Affected students, aged from 13 to 18 experienced symptoms such as stomach pain, diarrhoea, vomiting and fever. They received outpatient treatment and are in stable condition.
"Two clinical samples tested positive for norovirus and sapovirus infections. The health office is conducting further investigations to determine the exact source of the infections and any contributing factors," he told a press conference after visiting the school on Tuesday (May 6).
Sivanesan said a hygiene inspection of the canteen found the cleanliness level to be unsatisfactory.
He said it was ordered to close for four days under Section 18(1)(f) of the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 effective immediately.
"The canteen operator has taken corrective actions as instructed and after a re-evaluation, the premises was allowed to resume operations," he said. – Bernama
