Food and Environmental Hygiene Department

The public is urged to be extra cautious with food in summer, as the hot climate is particularly conducive to the spread of food-borne diseases, notably cholera, dysentery, typhoid and food poisoning through the consumption of contaminated food and water. Among these diseases, special attention should be paid to cholera which can bring on severe symptoms.

As many pathogens can be found on raw foods, foods to be consumed raw and foods that are inadequately cooked pose a higher risk of food poisoning. Inadequately cooked seafood like shrimps, crabs, oysters and cockles, and cold dishes such as sashimi, vegetable salads and fruits are considered high-risk foods. If these foods are contaminated and not subject to thorough cooking, they can bring food-borne diseases to the consumers.

Below are some common bacterial food-borne diseases :

Name of bacteria	Sources of bacteria	Food usually contaminated by such bacteria
Salmonella spp.	Intestines of animals, especially poultry	- Inadequately cooked meat, poultry and their products - Unpasteurised eggs and egg products
Vibrio parahaemonlyticus	Estuarine and marine environment	- Marine products to be eaten raw (e.g. oyster, sashimi) - Inadequately cooked marine products (e.g. jellyfish, shrimps)
Vibrio cholerae	Stool of infected persons, contaminated marine water	- Read-to-eat food contaminated by infected food handlers - Inadequately cooked marine products to be eaten raw (e.g. oyster, sashimi)

In fact, the best way to prevent these food-borne diseases is to observe the following advices in buying food, handling food at home as well as dining out.

* Cook appropriate amount of food. If there are leftovers, they must be kept in the refrigerator at or below 4 degree Celsius. Reheat thoroughly before eating them. Discard any food if spoilage is suspected;

* When taking a buffet meal, be careful in choosing cold dishes such as sashimi and raw oysters;