SHAH ALAM – Health Minister Datuk Seri Dzulkefly Ahmad said 11 people are still receiving treatment following the recent food poisoning incident in Gombak, with a total of 105 individuals affected.
He said tests confirmed salmonella as the cause of the poisoning.
The health minister assured that the patients are in stable condition and are not exhibiting severe symptoms.
“The Health Ministry has conducted tests and determined that salmonella is responsible for the outbreak,” Dzulkefly told reporters today.
“This case is unique due to the unusually rapid onset of symptoms, which typically appear within six to eight hours.”
When asked for updates on the food poisoning case in Jempol, Negeri Sembilan, Dzulkefly said that data is still unavailable.
Last Friday, a school in Gombak experienced an outbreak of food poisoning, which caused the deaths of a 17-year-old boy and a female toddler.
Selangor’s Health Department director Dr Ummi Kalthom suspects the cause was tainted fried eggs and bihun (rice vermicelli) served at the school event.
Dzulkefly was attending the launch of Shopee’s Pek Kasih Mama campaign, a collaboration between the Health Ministry and the popular e-commerce platform. He hopes the initiative will help with the rising cost of living.
Each pack includes essential baby and maternal care items, such as diapers, baby wipes, bath products, towels, breastfeeding necessities, and skincare products suitable for pregnant and breastfeeding women to make them more accessible to underprivileged communities.
“Whenever I talk about health matters, the one thing I often emphasise is equal access.
“It is important for parents to get necessities and childcare at affordable prices, and I hope this reflects the ministry and Shopee’s commitment to supporting our communities,” he said.
He also advised Shopee to ensure that products, especially medicines and food supplements, sold on their platform comply with the regulations and approvals.
“We are concerned that unregistered medicines and cosmetic products could cause side effects. Don’t let a few bad apples selling these items tarnish Shopee’s reputation,” he added. – June 15, 2024.