It was just a simple bowl of wonton noodles, but it was enough to land one pregnant woman in hospital with food poisoning.
Speaking to Shin Min Daily News, the woman, who is seven months pregnant, said she was warded for five days. She also vomited and had diarrhoea over 100 times after eating at Eng’s Heritage’s Northpoint City outlet on Jan 7.
The 30-year-old had visited the wonton noodle chain with her husband, 32.
Mere hours after eating there, her husband began experiencing sudden sharp pain in his abdomen, she recounted.
He also had diarrhoea “till his legs were wobbly and he felt faint”.
Image source: iStock
“As for me, it was about 5am when I started vomiting and having diarrhoea. After tossing and turning the whole night, we rushed to a gynaecology clinic as we were worried the baby would be affected,” she said.
Fortunately, the doctor reassured her that the baby was fine.
She ended up being warded in a hospital for observation while her husband was able to return home and rest after receiving an injection, she said.
“In the past week, I’ve vomited and had diarrhoea more than 100 times. I’m visiting the bathroom every 20 minutes.
“To add to that, having to rush to the toilet with such a big belly made my entire hospitalisation process even more exhausting.”
Image source: Shin Min Daily News
The couple eventually decided to report the matter to the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) due to the severity of his wife’s condition, her husband said.
Little did they know they weren’t the only ones affected.
A total of 26 people reported gastroenteritis symptoms after consuming food prepared at the same outlet between Jan 7 and Jan 9, SFA and the Ministry of Health (MOH) said in a joint statement on Jan 13.
Speaking to the Chinese daily, the owner of Eng’s Heritage apologised for the food poisoning incident. The 47-year-old also promised to personally visit the victims, compensate them with gift hampers and absorb the cost of their medical bills.
“Currently there have been about seven or eight people who have contacted us. Our customers have always been very important to us. Without our customers, we will not exist.”
The license of the Northpoint City outlet has been suspended until further notice, said SFA and MOH.
Before its food handlers can resume work, they will have to re-attend and pass the basic food hygiene course.
All of the outlet’s appointed food hygiene officers are also required to re-attend and pass the food hygiene officer course.
Additionally, the outlet is required to clean and sanitise its premises, equipment and utensils.
Image source: Facebook / Singapore Food Agency (SFA)
How To Avoid Food Poisoning While Pregnant
For mummies-to-be, it’s best to take extra caution of food you consume, especially now that you’re eating for two. To avoid going through complications like food poisoning, the NHS website gave a few pointers in how you can keep you and your baby healthy and safe.
1. Maintaining cleanliness. Never forget to wash your hands before eating and ensure all surfaces and utensils you will be using are squeaky clean.
2. Thoroughly wash all fruit and vegetables before eating.
3. Cook raw meat until it is no longer pink or has any signs of blood. Make sure to also wash thoroughly after handling raw meat.
4. Ready meals should be heated until piping hot, especially for food with poultry.
5. Leftovers should be covered when put in the fridge. It would also be safest to only use them within 2 days.
6. Stay away from expired food.
7. Overall, it would be best to avoid eating food that may contain bacteria that can cause food poisoning such as:
- Salmonella which is usually found in raw meat, uncooked poultry, unpasteurised milk and raw eggs.
- Campylobacter that can be found in unpasteurised milk, untreated water, raw and undercooked meat as well as poultry.
- Listeria may also be found in unpasteurised milk and many chilled foods.
With reports from Ally Villar.
This article was first published in AsiaOne and was edited and republished on theAsianparent with permission.
Lead image source from Shin Min Daily News.
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