Typhoid fever outbreak could be spread by illegal workers

KUALA LUMPUR - Eateries that flout food safety and hygiene standards will be ordered closed, the Health Ministry's disease control division director Dr Chong Chee Kheong said, following the sudden spike in typhoid fever cases in the city.

According to The Star today, Dr Chong said the ministry was also in the process of determining the source of the surge in cases and whether it started from a single location or several areas.

“We will check the travel and food history of those infected and make an analysis on where the source is,” he was quoted saying in the English daily.

“If the infected person had taken food from certain areas in Kuala Lumpur, those areas will be investigated and rated and if the food taken was from another state, those places will also be checked,” he said.

“If they are not clean, we are going to close them down,” he reportedly said after a ministry function yesterday.

Dr Chong also urged consumers to be more careful over where they choose to eat and to ensure that their food is not prepared in unsanitary conditions.

He reportedly added that the probe on the source of the reported cases would take some time as those who caught typhoid fever were spread out over a number of locations.

The ministry issued an alert on Monday after 32 cases were confirmed in various parts of Kuala Lumpur including Cheras, Titiwangsa, Kepong and Lembah Pantai. No deaths have been recorded so far.

Typhoid fever is transmitted through food or drinks contaminated with Salmonella typhii, and symptoms usually arise between one and three weeks after infection. These include lethargy, fever, stomach aches, constipation, headaches, diarrhea and vomiting.

If left untreated, it could lead to complications such as bleeding and puncturing of the intestinal tract, brain inflammation, psychosis and other symptoms, or become a carrier without any symptoms.

According to Dr Chong, the alert was issued because most people would not have expected it to happen in the city, unlike in rural areas.

Yesterday, Deputy Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Hilmi Yahya said foreigners working illegally in the food industry were believed to be the source of the surge in typhoid fever cases.

According to Hilmi, this was because the illegal workers do not undergo the compulsory medical screening or receive the mandatory inoculations that are part of work permit approval process.

• Causes of typhoid fever