15 sick in Salmonella ice cream outbreak

Fifteen people recently fell ill in Hong Kong after eating vanilla-flavored ice cream in restaurants.

The Ministry of Health’s Center for Health Protection (CHP) said the incident involved three restaurants at the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong hotel: Grand Café, Grissini and One Harbor Road.

There are nine men and six women between the ages of 3 and 42. At least six are children. In early June, they all had vanilla ice cream at the hotel. They developed abdominal pain, fever, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea about 15 to 65 hours after consuming the affected food.

Four of them required hospitalization and were discharged after treatment. All patients are in stable condition.

Stool samples from six affected people tested positive for Salmonella in laboratory tests. Four Salmonella isolates belong to the same group Salmonella Enteritidis.

The Center for Food Safety (CFS) and the Environmental Hygiene Division of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) inspected the premises and the ice cream production kitchen. Production and sales of affected food were suspended and cleaning and disinfection took place.

To date, no Salmonella has been found in ice cream, vanilla oil, environmental samples or staff stool samples.

FEHD will review the investigation and initiate charges against the location if there is sufficient evidence.

Other outbreaks

In another incident, CHP is investigating an outbreak that has sickened nine people linked to a restaurant at the Kimberley Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui.

Eight women and one man are sick. They are aged between 7 and 82 and became ill after a buffet at the same hotel restaurant. Patients consumed a variety of foods, including cold fish dishes and desserts.

Seven patients sought medical advice and three required hospitalization. After laboratory testing, one patient’s stool sample was positive for Salmonella.

After an inspection of the food areas, FEHD officials said sanitary conditions were “unsatisfactory” and ordered a deep cleaning and disinfection. Problems included the lack of separation between raw and cooked food during storage, and the refrigerator temperature did not reach 4 degrees C (33.8 degrees F) or lower. Activities were suspended and business will only resume after a positive assessment by the FEHD.

CHP is also investigating an outbreak in which eight people became ill after eating at a restaurant in Mong Kok.

Five are women and three are men, ages 17 to 49. Medical advice was sought in four cases, but none required hospital admission and all are in a stable condition.

Initial investigations by the CHP revealed that the affected people had all eaten grilled oysters and lamb skewers. Due to poor cooking, it is suspected that the incident was caused by norovirus and/or Salmonella.

The restaurant has been ordered to suspend sales of related food and clean and disinfect the premises.

Earlier this month, four people fell ill in a Ciguatera poisoning case.

Four women between the ages of 17 and 77 developed symptoms of ciguatoxin poisoning, including limb weakness, numbness and diarrhea, about four to 15 hours after eating fish at home. Two people have been admitted to hospital for treatment.

Officials discovered that the fish had been purchased from a stall at a market in Cheung Sha Wan.

“Most people affected by ciguatoxin will recover with no long-term health effects, but the circulatory and nervous systems can be affected if excessive toxins are consumed. The poison cannot be destroyed by cooking,” a CHP spokesperson said.

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