Philippines: Some Samuya workers positive
for salmonella
Source of
Article: http://www.gmanews.tv/story/154858/Some-Samuya-workers-positive-for-salmonella
AIE BALAGTAS SEE, GMANews.TV
03/30/2009
| 11:10 PM
MANILA, Philippines - Some of the 53 employees of Samuya Food
Manufacturing Inc. were tested positive for Salmonella contamination, the
Department of Health said Monday.
The DOH said this was according to the result of the examination conducted by
the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) on Samuya employees’
rectal swabs.
The DOH did not identify the employees, but said it was unlikely that the
employees were the sources of salmonella contamination for Samuya’s peanut
butter products.
DOH-Epidemiology Center chief Dr. Eric Tayag said the type of Salmonella
found on the employees still needs to undergo zero-typing to determine if
these were the same type of salmonella found on two Samuya peanut butter
products.
Last week, two peanut butter products manufactured by Samuya tested positive
for two types of salmonella. DOH said Ludy’s Sweet and Creamy Peanut Butter
and Yummy Sweet and Creamy Peanut Butter were found positive of Salmonella
hvittinfoss and senftenberg, respectively.
“Itong salmonella senftenberg na ito ay isa sa mga na-isolate nila sa peanut
butter sa Amerika. Hindi namin sinasabi na may connect ‘yun. Pero sinasabi na
natin as early as now ito yung na-isolate din natin dito. Titingnan natin
kung ‘yung nakita sa Samuya employees ay pareho dito," Tayag said in an interview
with GMA News’ John Consulta.
[Salmonella senftenberg is the type found in American peanut butters.
Although we also found the same type of salmonella in our peanut butter
products, we can’t conclude that the two incidents are connected. We are still
studying if the type found on Samuya employees was the same.]
Samuya officials were quoted as saying they would shoulder the medical
expenses of their employees and would cooperate with the DOH.
Meanwhile, the Pasay city Health officials took water samples from the Samuya
factory. The report said the sample would undergo bacteriological test, with
the result expected to be released in three days. - GMANews.TV
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