issue: hygiene
OCTOBER, 2018 | The HEALTH
09
VOSIZNEIAS.COM
123RF
The World Health Organiza-
tion (WHO) Food Safety.
WHO; Geneva, Switzerland:
2015
2
million fatal
cases of food poisoning
occur every year globally
especially in developing
countries.
Ministry of Health (MOH)
Health Facts 2014. MOH;
Putrajaya, Malaysia: 2014
Malaysia recorded
49.79
cases of
food poisoning per 100,000
population.
Ministry of Health (MOH)
Annual Report 2007. MOH;
Putrajaya, Malaysia: 2007
50
More than
per cent
of the total food poisoning
cases were attributed to
improper food handling by
food handlers.
Ministry of Health (MOH):
The National Level 2014
Clean, Safe and Healthy
Canteen Award. Department
of Food Safety and Food
Quality, editor. MOH;
Putrajaya, Malaysia: 2014
The outbreaks in academic
institutions contributed
43
per cent of the
total foodborne poisoning
incidents in Malaysia.
Ministry of Health (MOH)
Annual Report 2010. MOH;
Putrajaya, Malaysia: 2012.
MOH identified ineffective
food handling training, the
use of untreated water for
non-drinking purposes, and
poor sanitation and hygiene
as the primary risk factors
of food poisoning in the
country.
Campylobacter: Global
cause for diarrheal disease
THE World Health Organisation
recently reported that campylobacter
is one of four key global causes of
diarrheal diseases. It is considered to
be the most common bacterial cause
of human gastroenteritis in the world.
Campylobacter bacteria can get into
your system if you eat undercooked
poultry or food that has touched raw
or undercooked poultry. The bacteria
usually live in the digestive systems of
animals, including poultry and cattle.
Unpasteurized milk can also have
campylobacter bacteria.
KPJ Tawakkal Specialist Hospital
consultant obstetrician and gynaeco-
logist Dr Patricia Lim Su Lyn explained
that campylobacter is a bacterial infec-
tion that could lead to more serious
infections.
“It is a type of food poisoning that
occurs in the small intestine that is
caused by contaminated fecal oral
transmission. Mostly, contaminated
poultry.”
“Most of us are unaware of the fact
that this can spread through eggs that
are unwashed prior to handling in food
preparation. Say, it is not washed and
still contains fecal matter in its shell.
Even when preparing half-boiled eggs
where the eggs are merely soaked in
warm water - the water becomes con-
taminated by the bacteria and when
hands are used to handle it, it spreads.”
Symptoms
This bacterial infection are often
manifested with cramps, diarrhea and
vomiting.
“The difference between diarrhea
caused by campylobacter is that they
have what we call the pre-infection or
prodromal symptoms such as body
ache, fever for 24-hours prior the diar-
rhea, abdominal pain and sometimes
dysentery which could last up to five
days.”
“In most people, it might just be
for two days. The dysentery or bloody
diarrhea – when people have that,
they become worried if it could be
someth