It is Official. The cause of the Geylang Serai Rojak,(mixed salad) poisoning that cause 150 people sickens ,2 dead and 152 rats as suspect have been found ! It is Vibrio ParahaemolyTicus. However , the local rat population have protested on the innuendos of Ticus. Ticus means Rat in local vernacular Malay. The Rattorney for the Rat for Fair Treatment, Terence Rattigan, pointed out that having the same end name doe not mean it is one and the same. The actual latin name for rat is Ratticus Norvegicus, while the real cause of the poison is Vibrio ParahaemolyTicus.In Singlish,English or any other language, since when is Ratticus and Vibrio similar. ?The said words does not look ,smells or feels like another, he squeals.
The next issues the R attorney intends to file in court is to force the court or the authorities the habeas corpus, to produce the presence or body of evidence of the 122 rats being held as suspect. Mr Rattigan, squeals, henceforth , all the rats shall need to be freed without any charges heing held. It is expected to be a landmark trial in the local Court. Copywriters are awaiting with glees the chance to rewrite the trial and possibly a Hollywood sequel to that rat-cookery cartoons, especially that the other case that stole the headline is being resolved. That late Doc Ooi case.
The full story below.
BLAME it on the Vibrio parahaemolyticus bacterium, which is commonly associated with seafood consumption.
The Ministry of Health (MOH) and National Environment Agency (NEA) identified the cause of the mass food-poisoning incident at Geylang Serai Temporary Market, which saw more than 150 people falling ill after eating Indian rojak from the Rojak Geylang Serai stall.
Two women also died.
Laboratory investigation showed that 13 of the cases, including the first woman who died, tested positive for the bacterium.
In a joint statement last night, MOH and NEA identified the bacterium and traced it to the cross-contamination of rojak and raw seafood ingredients.
No food remnants were available for microbiological testing and the exact steps leading to contamination of the rojak food items or gravy are still unclear.
But the MOH and NEA suggested that "insights" could be drawn from a similar food-poisoning incident in 1983.
At that time, 34 people fell ill - also after eating at a Geylang Serai Indian-rojak stall.
Then, contamination came about after drippings from raw cuttlefish fell into the rojak gravy, which was in uncovered containers on the lower shelves of a refrigerator.
"The food was prepared on unlicensed premises at Joo Chiat, where abundant drippings from raw cuttlefish were found to have contaminated the rojak gravy in uncovered containers on the lower shelves of a refrigerator," the statement said.
In the present case - believed to be the worst food-poisoning incident here - no food remnants were available for testing because the rojak items and gravy were discarded as soon as customers complained.
"Nonetheless, MOH and NEA investigators detected some lapses in food and environmental hygiene," the statement said.
For now, the licence of the Indian rojak stall will be suspended and the licensee will be taken to court.
"The NEA will be taking action against the licensee under the Environmental Public Health (Food Hygiene) Regulations," the statement said.
It added that deaths associated with the bacterium are rare.
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