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Mary Ann Benitez

136 cases of food poisoning at restaurant in Mongkok's upmarket Langham Place

Thirty-four more people who ate at a noodle restaurant in Mongkok's upmarket Langham Place commercial complex have come down with food poisoning, taking the number of cases to 136.

The outbreak was possibly caused by the bacterium Vibrio parahaemolyticus, which was  identified in one stool sample, Centre for Health Protection (CHP) chief Leung Pak-yin  said. 'It is a very mild disease and normally people can recover in one to two days.'

The bacterium is in the  family  that causes cholera and is a common cause of food-borne disease in Asia, according to the US Centres for Disease Control.

Tests are continuing on food samples taken from the Mongkok noodle shop Shanghai Kitchen, the source of the outbreak, which authorities closed on November 28 for disinfection and testing.

'We are still looking at the cause but it is most likely cross-contamination between raw food and cooked food,' Dr Leung  said.

A spokesman for the CHP said last night: 'The usual sources of food poisoning by such agents include inadequately cooked marine products, salted food or other food cross-contaminated by seafood.'

The food poisoning outbreak comes just after Langham Place - a giant office, retail and hotel complex owned by Great Eagle Holdings - opened on November 17.

The victims comprise 49 males and 87 females, aged between 15 and 73. They developed fever and gastrointestinal symptoms, including diarrhoea, abdominal pain and vomiting, a few hours to 37 hours after eating at the restaurant between November 20 and 28.

Ninety-four of them sought medical treatment, of whom two were admitted to hospital and later  discharged.

A spokesman for the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department said investigations were continuing to see if the food operator should be charged.

Infectious disease specialist Lo Wing-lok  said: 'The high number of cases may be related to the big quantity of food served to this large number of customers.'

He said the bacteria may have been introduced by the restaurant's supplier of pre-cooked seafood, such as jellyfish or small shrimp, which was then served without being reheated.

Meanwhile, an 80-year-old man from Wong Tai Sin is in critical condition at Queen Elizabeth Hospital with legionnaire's  disease. His is the third case so far this year, all imported.

The man travelled to the mainland from November 15 to 17 before coming down with symptoms on November 22, the CHP said. His wife has no symptoms but has been put under medical surveillance.

CHP staff and the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department visited the man's home yesterday to collect samples.

The legionella bacterium is found in water sources such as air conditioning cooling towers, whirlpool spas and showers.



Another 34 fall ill from noodle shop