| |
Proper prevention steps mean few cases of these diseases
HAWKER Johnny Quek used to get an injection to ward against typhoid once every three years. It was a requirement because he handles food. Mr Quek, 44, and his two kitchen helpers are due for another injection this year but they will be skipping it – and they will not be flouting any rules either. In September last year, the National Environment Agency, in consultation with the Health Ministry, said that it was no longer necessary for food handlers to be vaccinated against typhoid. “Since vaccination is not compulsory now, there is no point going for it. It’s just extra cost,” said Mr Quek, who runs a Western food stall at Old Airport Road hawker centre. He used to pay $26 for an injection. Under the new rules, food handlers above the age of 45 also need no longer go for tuberculosis screening once every three years.
A Health Ministry spokesman said yesterday that typhoid vaccinations and TB screening were introduced for food handlers in the 1970s when the incidence of these diseases was high. But with proper prevention and control measures in place, the incidence of typhoid and TB is much lower now. The injections and screenings were also found to have a “negligible” impact in the prevention and control of typhoid and TB, she said.
Typhoid is an infection of the blood stream caused by the bacterium Salmonella typhi. A person is usually infected by consuming food contaminated with faecal material from an infected person. The spokesman said there are many species of salmonella, of which Salmonella typhi is just one. Most food poisoning cases are caused by non-typhoid salmonella species – for which there is no vaccination – and other food-borne pathogens. She added that typhoid acquired locally is rare, and most typhoid cases are infected while overseas.
As for TB, this can be controlled if diagnosis is prompt. “Food handlers who are unwell should... abstain from work,” she said. The rule change, however, was questioned by a writer to The Straits Times Forum yesterday. Referring to the recent case of 346 children at childcare chain Pat’s Schoolhouse being hit with food poisoning after eating spaghetti supplied by a caterer, Dr Leong Choon Kit said that such cases were unheard of for some time because of Singapore’s stringent vaccination programme. He called for it to continue. The rule change has drawn mixed responses from food handlers: While some are continuing with the injections, others are all too happy to give them a miss.
Caterer Purple Sage said it will still vaccinate its 20 food handlers against typhoid. “Vaccinations are not difficult to carry out and it is better to be safe than sorry,” said Ms Shirley Kok, its director of sales and marketing. MPs interviewed welcome the change. Pointing out that vaccination can target only a limited number of infections, Jurong GRC MP Halimah Yacob said: “If you are vaccinated but you do not maintain a high level of hygiene when cooking and preparing food, you will be back to square one.” The newly appointed Minister of State for Community Development, Youth and Sports added: “In the old days, all food handlers had to get vaccination but there were so many cases of food poisoning.”
Currently, food handlers must attend a one-day course on how to handle food properly before they are granted a licence to operate a food business. Mr Anderson Tan, who runs XpRienz – a company appointed by the Workforce Development Agency to train handlers – noted that the Government’s approach to food handling has changed. “It’s a more proactive approach,” he said, adding that the course started in 2007. “Food handlers learn how bacteria cause food poisoning, how to handle food safety, and how to improve their personal hygiene.” Mr Vincent Goh, 39, whose three-year-old son was warded for 13 days recently and who had salmonella, hopes typhoid jabs will be reinstated. “Such vaccinations should be compulsory,” he said. “It would have been a good preventive measure.”
WHAT CAUSES FOOD POISONING
DR DOUGLAS Chan, an associate consultant at the division of microbiology of the National University Hospital, explains:
-
Bacteria, viruses and parasites can cause food poisoning, which occurs when contaminated food or water is consumed.
-
Chemicals and toxins, such as the toxins in shellfish, can be a non-infectious cause.
-
Food can get contaminated if improperly handled. Bacteria and viruses are often carried on the hands of individuals. Food can also be contaminated if animals carrying bacteria, viruses or parasites come into contact with it.
-
Symptoms: Abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, fever and blood in the stools.
-
Treatment: In most cases, the body will get better on its own. Usually, only drugs to ease pain, vomiting or diarrhoea are needed. In severe cases of bacterial food poisoning, antibiotics may be required.
WHAT IS TYPHOID?
Typhoid is a bacterial infection of the blood caused by a bacterium called Salmonella typhi. It is transmitted by the ingestion of food or water contaminated with the faeces of an infected person.
-
Symptoms: Fever, muscle ache, abdominal pain and headaches.
-
Treatment: It is a serious illness, requiring antibiotics. If ignored, it can result in death, because it is a bloodstream infection that can lead to multiple organ failure.
HOW TO PREVENT IT: DOS & DON’TS
-
Wash your hands thoroughly for at least 20 seconds, using water and soap.
-
Avoid reheating food unless it was previously cooled and stored in a chiller quickly. If food has to be reheated, bring the temperature to above 75 deg C for at least two minutes. Food should be reheated only once.
-
Store cooked food above raw food in a refrigerator so drippings from the raw food will not contaminate the cooked food.
-
Stop refreezing thawed food, as bacteria multiplies during thawing.
-
Place food on shelves at least 30cm off the floor so that the floor under the shelves can be cleaned.
-
Do not put hot food into the chiller as this increases the temperature there, endangering other food there.
-
Do not wear jewellery or watches when preparing food.
-
Keep nails short, clean and unvarnished, and wear gloves if your hands have adhesive plasters on, so they do not slip into the food.
PENALTIES: Food handlers who flout the rules may be given up to six demerit points. If more than 12 are chalked up within a year, the handler’s licence will be suspended for two weeks on the first charge and four weeks on subsequent occasions. The licence may also be revoked. Fines of up to $400 may also be imposed.
*Information provided by XpRienz
|