Press Release

CHP investigates suspected food poisoning outbreak

28 July 2015

The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health is today (July 28) investigating a suspected food poisoning outbreak notified by the health authority of Macau and hence reminded the public to maintain personal, food and environmental hygiene to prevent food-borne diseases.

The CHP received notification from the health authority of Macau on July 26 of a suspected food poisoning outbreak involving a tour group of 57 persons who had travelled from Hangzhou, Zhejiang to Hong Kong and then to Macau. The CHP conducted investigation immediately and found that five persons of the tour group, comprising one man and four women aged between 7 and 68 developed abdominal pain, diarrhoea, vomiting and fever, about 13 to 16 hours after having lunch at a food premises in Hung Hom. All of the affected persons attended a hospital in Macau and did not require hospitalisation. They have been in stable condition all along.

The CHP received notification from the health authority of Macau tonight that clusters of suspected food poisoning outbreaks involving other eight tour groups which had travelled from the Mainland to Hong Kong and then to Macau. According to the currently available information from the health authority of Macau, six of the tour groups had consumed food in the same food premises.

The CHP is liaising with the health authority of Macau to obtain further information about the newly reported clusters. Investigations are on-going.

To prevent food-borne diseases, members of the public are reminded to maintain personal, food and environmental hygiene at all times. When dining out:

• Eat thoroughly cooked food;
• Avoid eating raw seafood;
• Be a discerning consumer in choosing cold dishes, including sashimi, sushi and raw oysters, at a buffet;
• Patronise only reliable and licensed restaurants;
• Do not patronise illegal food hawkers;
• Drink boiled water;
• Use two sets of chopsticks and eating utensils to handle raw and cooked food;
• Do not try to use salt, vinegar, wine and wasabi to kill bacteria as they are not effective; and
• Always wash hands before eating and after going to the toilet.