82 down with food poisoning in Gombak school programme
Published on: Tuesday, June 11, 2024
By: FMT
Selangor health director Dr Ummi Kalthom Shamsudin says the food poisoning affected nearly a third of those who attended a religious programme involving 30 primary schools in Gombak on Friday. (File pic)
PETALING JAYA: The Selangor health department has found that 82 people experienced food poisoning symptoms after consuming meals at a programme held at a school in Gombak.
Selangor health director Dr Ummi Kalthom Shamsudin said the department has received the report on the food poisoning incident at the district-level “Program Kemahiran Amal Islami” that involved 30 primary schools on Friday.
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She said investigations showed that 82 people, or 33% of the 247 who consumed the food, experienced symptoms. Two others died.
She said those affected showed symptoms of food poisoning after consuming a breakfast of fried noodles and eggs, which had “changed in taste and appearance”.
The food was provided by an external caterer for the teachers and the programme organisers.
“Those affected included staff, teachers, school workers and family members, aged between one and 58.
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“The primary symptoms reported were diarrhoea, abdominal pain, fever, vomiting and nausea,” Ummi Kalthom said in a statement.
A total of 28 victims sought outpatient treatment but none required hospitalisation.
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Earlier, police were reported to be investigating the deaths of a 17-year-old boy and a two-year-old girl following suspected food poisoning.
Gombak police chief Noor Ariffin Nasir said the reports were received yesterday.
He said the first case involved a teenager who had eaten food brought home by his mother from the programme.
Investigations into the second case found that the two-year-old girl had eaten food brought home by her father, a security guard, from the same programme at the school.
Ummi Kalthom said the Selangor health department would continue to investigate and identify new cases.
“Food samples taken on the day of the incident have been sent to the National Public Health Laboratory in Sungai Buloh to determine the exact cause of the food poisoning,” she said.
She urged those experiencing symptoms to seek immediate treatment at any health facility to prevent unwanted complications.
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