28 students discharged after food poisoning incident at George Town school

GEORGE TOWN: All 28 students from Sekolah Menengah Teknik (SMK) Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra, near Jalan Ibbetson here, were discharged on Wednesday (July 17) after receiving treatment for suspected food poisoning on Friday (July 12).

They reportedly showed symptoms of food poisoning after eating fried tandoori chicken served for lunch at the school’s hostel canteen that day.

Penang state Youth, Sports and Health Committee chairman Daniel Gooi Zi Sen said all 28 students sought treatment at Penang Hospital before being discharged on Tuesday (July 16) after their conditions stabilised.

“A total of 496 students and two wardens who ate the food were exposed to poisoning, but only 28 were affected. They were discharged yesterday (Tuesday),” he said when contacted by Bernama on Wednesday (July 17).

Earlier, the media reported that 496 students and two wardens at SMK Teknik Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra fell ill after eating lunch at the canteen on Friday (July 12), with 30 of them seeking treatment at Penang Hospital and Penaga Health Clinic.

However, Daniel admitted that there was a slight error in the report, noting that only 28 students were affected and that all sought treatment at Penang Hospital because the incident occurred in the Timur Laut District while the health clinic is located in the Seberang Perai Utara District.

He reminded all food handlers in the state to always be vigilant and maintain cleanliness when serving food.

Earlier, the Penang Health Department said the Timur Laut District Health Office is still conducting investigations to identify the actual cause of the incident.

It added that the hostel canteen kitchen had been ordered to close under the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 while food samples have also been taken for analysis. – Bernama