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<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR>Checks on all hawker centres stepped up
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><TR>Food poisoning incident totally unacceptable, says Minister Yaacob </TR><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Teh Joo Lin
</TD></TR><!-- show image if available --></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->THE National Environment Agency (NEA) is beefing up cleanliness checks on all 109 hawker centres it manages after an Indian rojak stall at a temporary market in Geylang Serai was linked to the worst case of mass food poisoning here.
Three other temporary markets in Ang Mo Kio, Tekka and Queen Street - which are run by their own local management committees - have also been inspected after 154 people who had eaten food from Geylang's rojak stall fell ill last week.
The market re-opened yesterday after a two-day scrubdown, yet the shutters of the rojak stall remained firmly closed with no sign of the owner.
It was visited by the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, who had some harsh words on the food poisoning episode.
'What has happened is totally unacceptable. As far as I am concerned, it's outrageous that this has happened, and we must make sure it doesn't happen again,' he said, explaining that thousands of Singaporeans depended on hawker fare for their daily meals.
He promised that the authorities will fully investigate the incident and hold those responsible accountable.
The tightening of checks on hawker centres is likely to spell more frequent dialogues with stall-owners and visits to their stalls and surrounding facilities like toilets. The pest control situation will also be further scrutinised for signs of rats and other possible infestations.
Officers currently run inspections on stalls every six to eight weeks.
The stepping-up will ensure there are no hygiene lapses and maintain public confidence in hawker centres, said Dr Yaacob, who added that a 'sound regime' was in place but it will continue to be reviewed.
On Thursday, Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan cited the outbreak - which led to two deaths and one miscarriage - as an example of deteriorating hygiene standards.
He gave Singapore close to a 'fail' grade on matters of hygiene, compared to the nine out of 10 points during the 2003 Sars virus outbreak. He said that complacency has set in.
Dr Yaacob agreed: 'I hope the hawkers and hawker centres will take this as a wake-up call to step up and improve their hygiene standards,' he said.
In an update on the outbreak last night, the Health Ministry and the NEA said the number of cases remained unchanged at 154, with 48 people hospitalised. Five patients are still recovering in hospital.
Investigations by the authorities indicate that the Vibro parahaemolyticus bacteria is the source of the food poisoning, 'most likely due to cross-contamination of rojak and raw seafood ingredients harbouring the bacteria'.
The five Indian rojak sellers have been screened. Three cleared tests, while the lab results for two are still pending.
In a sign of a widening probe, a food handler at the neighbouring mee siam stall - which also stayed closed yesterday - was screened too. His test result is also pending.
Both stalls are said to have shared the same refrigerator.
According to NEA statistics, food poisoning is rare at hawker centres, with an average of four incidents each year in the past three years. A total of 36 people were affected. [email protected]
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR>Checks on all hawker centres stepped up
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><TR>Food poisoning incident totally unacceptable, says Minister Yaacob </TR><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Teh Joo Lin
</TD></TR><!-- show image if available --></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->THE National Environment Agency (NEA) is beefing up cleanliness checks on all 109 hawker centres it manages after an Indian rojak stall at a temporary market in Geylang Serai was linked to the worst case of mass food poisoning here.
Three other temporary markets in Ang Mo Kio, Tekka and Queen Street - which are run by their own local management committees - have also been inspected after 154 people who had eaten food from Geylang's rojak stall fell ill last week.
The market re-opened yesterday after a two-day scrubdown, yet the shutters of the rojak stall remained firmly closed with no sign of the owner.
It was visited by the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, who had some harsh words on the food poisoning episode.
'What has happened is totally unacceptable. As far as I am concerned, it's outrageous that this has happened, and we must make sure it doesn't happen again,' he said, explaining that thousands of Singaporeans depended on hawker fare for their daily meals.
He promised that the authorities will fully investigate the incident and hold those responsible accountable.
The tightening of checks on hawker centres is likely to spell more frequent dialogues with stall-owners and visits to their stalls and surrounding facilities like toilets. The pest control situation will also be further scrutinised for signs of rats and other possible infestations.
Officers currently run inspections on stalls every six to eight weeks.
The stepping-up will ensure there are no hygiene lapses and maintain public confidence in hawker centres, said Dr Yaacob, who added that a 'sound regime' was in place but it will continue to be reviewed.
On Thursday, Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan cited the outbreak - which led to two deaths and one miscarriage - as an example of deteriorating hygiene standards.
He gave Singapore close to a 'fail' grade on matters of hygiene, compared to the nine out of 10 points during the 2003 Sars virus outbreak. He said that complacency has set in.
Dr Yaacob agreed: 'I hope the hawkers and hawker centres will take this as a wake-up call to step up and improve their hygiene standards,' he said.
In an update on the outbreak last night, the Health Ministry and the NEA said the number of cases remained unchanged at 154, with 48 people hospitalised. Five patients are still recovering in hospital.
Investigations by the authorities indicate that the Vibro parahaemolyticus bacteria is the source of the food poisoning, 'most likely due to cross-contamination of rojak and raw seafood ingredients harbouring the bacteria'.
The five Indian rojak sellers have been screened. Three cleared tests, while the lab results for two are still pending.
In a sign of a widening probe, a food handler at the neighbouring mee siam stall - which also stayed closed yesterday - was screened too. His test result is also pending.
Both stalls are said to have shared the same refrigerator.
According to NEA statistics, food poisoning is rare at hawker centres, with an average of four incidents each year in the past three years. A total of 36 people were affected. [email protected]
