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Australia: Heatwave
linked to outbreak of food poisoning Source of Article: http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/heatwave-linked-to-outbreak-of-food-poisoning/2009/02/05/1233423405360.html
Adele Horin The source of the outbreak is believed to be a hollandaise
sauce that used raw egg, although the NSW Food Authority is still waiting for
conclusive test results. A spokesman for the authority said if the sauce was
found to have been the culprit, the hot weather on the day would have
contributed to the growth of bacteria. The suspected food poisoning occurred on Friday,
January 23, when the temperature reached nearly 32 degrees at the Residents from the independent living units and some
staff who attended a function in the recreation centre were affected by
diarrhoea, vomiting and stomach cramps after they had eaten veal with
hollandaise sauce. Some were taken to the Mona Vale and Mosman hospitals and
the Sanatorium hospital in Wahroonga. A spokesman for Dr Michael Staff, manager of the public
health unit at Northern Sydney Central Coast Health, said the incident had
been reported to NSW Health as required. A relative of a resident who had eaten the food at the
village said she had found her mother delirious and dehydrated on the Sunday
morning after she had struggled through 41-degree heat on the Saturday. She
was rushed to hospital where she was diagnosed with gastroenteritis and
"barrier nursed" to present contagion. A statement from the home's management said sufficient
staff were on duty over the long weekend to cope with normal workload and
extra were called in to help the residents in need. "Village management apologises unreservedly to all
people affected by this unfortunate incident and continues to work with the
public health unit to trace the source," the statement said. It said the village served more than 200,000 meals a
year and this was the first known episode of gastric upset relating to food
services "in living memory". The Minister for Primary Industries, Ian Macdonald,
issued a warning about the potential health risks from eating food that
contained raw or lightly cooked eggs. He said the Government was launching an
education campaign in view of a consumer survey by the Food Authority that
showed people did not understand how to safely cook or store eggs. Eggs were a nutritious food but "if they are not
properly prepared, eggs can cause food poisoning", he said. |
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