[Top: Madam Aminah fell very ill after eating the rojak from a popular store in Geylang Serai hawker centre. She died in hospital yesterday.]

SEVERE cases of food poisoning can lead to shock, loss of consciousness, and even death.

Associate Professor Helen Oh, a senior consultant in infectious diseases at Changi General Hospital, said that in some cases, profuse diarrhoea and vomiting can lead to severe dehydration.

The patient may then go into shock and lose consciousness.

Most food poisoning cases are caused by bacterial infections.

Said Prof Oh: 'If there's an overwhelming infection and the body cannot overcome it, the patient could go into severe sepsis (bacteria in the blood).'

This could lead to shock, organ failure, or even death.

Prof Oh said that elderly patients are more likely to suffer such complications compared to younger patients.

In Madam Aminah's case, she went into a coma and suffered acute renal failure when the infection hit her kidneys.

Two other patients at CGH also went into shock because of profuse diarrhoea, said Prof Oh.

The other patients suffered symptoms such as giddiness and generalised weakness, chills, severe abdominal cramps, diarrhoea or bloody diarrhoea, and vomiting.

Prof Oh said: 'People should be more aware of types of food that are predisposed to being contaminated. For example, foods kept at room temperature for long periods, eggs, dairy products and salad, or improperly cooked meat.'

She also advised the public to take note if their symptoms start becoming severe, and see a doctor as soon as possible.

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This story was first published in The New Paper.

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