There are no new hospital admissions as of yesterday, according to a Ministry of Health (MOH) statement. To date, the total number of cases reported is 146, with 48 patients hospitalised.
The main symptoms experienced by these cases were severe abdominal cramps, vomiting, and diarrhoea. Many have been discharged, but 11 are still recovering in hospital.
Many of patients had eaten seafood items from affected stall Rojak Geylang Serai - either the prawn fritters or cuttlefish, or both
This is according to Dr Helen Oh, a senior consultant dealing with infectious diseases at Changi General Hospital. She determined this after hospital staff spoke to the 77 patients treated there.
The seafood items were believed to have been contaminated by Vibrio parahaemolyticus bacteria, a common cause of food poisoning associated with consumption of raw or partially cooked seafood.
The affected stall - Rojak Geylang Serai:
It is a famous Indian rojak stall at Geylang Serai market and had previously been featured on Makansutra. The stall, at #01-320, was rated two and a half chopsticks out of three in Makansutra's 2007 food guide.
According to the review, regulars swear by its stewed beef liver.
The stall received a "C" hygiene rating in a check by the National Environment Agency (NEA) last December.
The casualties:
The number of people who have fallen ill is now 146.
A photo of Madam Noraini Kasim
with her husband.
Among those warded, two woman - Madam Noraini Kasim and Mdm Aminah Samijo - have died. One womanwho was two months pregnant miscarried. This is possibly Singapore's worst case of mass food poisoning.
Cause of the food poisoning:
Workers from the rojak stall have been told to go for screening at the Communicable Disease Centre (CDC).
A MOH spokesman said a joint inspection was conducted with officers from the NEA on Saturday morning at the stall.
She said the stallholder and assistant have been directed by MOH to undergo screening for food-borne pathogens at the CDC.
Samples were collected from the stall and investigations are ongoing. The cause of the outbreak is still unknown, but preliminary investigations by the MOH showed two of the victims tested positive for the Vibrio parahaemolyticus bacteria, which is a common cause of food poisoning associated with consumption of raw or partially cooked seafood.
The NEA spokesman added that the agency was notified about the food poisoning cases by the hospitals and customers of the stall.
