Spike In Bacterial Infection Cases - Link To Raw Fish

[Pinobii]

heng ah! nonetheless, i should cutdown on sashimi & sushi ... i like RAW

Hehe...i love salmon sashmi but dun dare to eat too much, got another type of parasites, can get lodge in the liver

 

Better siam ba

[Pinobii]

Sashimi lovers, beware too

 

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/gbs-bacteria-may-also/2316874.html

 

GBS bacteria may also affect saltwater fish: Expert

 

By Loke Kok Fai

POSTED: 3 十二月 2015 at 22:02

UPDATED: 3 十二月 2015 at 22:39

 

 

SINGAPORE: The Health Ministry has said it found no links between sashimi - which is usually made using saltwater fish, and Group B streptococcus (GBS) infections.

 

This has led to some people making the assumption that raw saltwater fish could be safe, but a former Director of Food Safety, Zoonosis, and Food-borne Diseases at the World Health Organization has cautioned that saltwater fish is just as likely to carry the disease as freshwater fish.

 

"These types of bacteria are found in many different animals - both mammals on land, including humans, and also mammals in the sea, and fish in seawater and fish in freshwater. It's not really correct to say that it's only related to freshwater fish,” said Professor Jorgen Schlundt from Nanyang Technological University’s School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering.

 

The professor said bacteria could be introduced if fish is not handled hygienically during transportation, or if the fish are kept under high temperature.

 

Farming methods could also be another factor, he said. For example, fish that are kept in small spaces should not be consumed raw.

 

He said: "If you're trying to put pressure on your production system by putting lots of fish in there, then you can create these problems. If the water is not clean enough, you can also create these problems. But we have to remind ourselves that these bacteria are out there, all the time, that basically it's not something totally new, and that this only happens in Singapore. These bacteria are out there - it's been documented in China, in a number of other countries also."

 

The National Healthcare Group said those at higher risk of infection include younger children, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems. It added that symptoms of infection include blood poisoning, pneumonia, severe headaches and stiff necks (meningitis).

 

 

- CNA/xq

 

MediaCorp News Group

©2015 MediaCorp Pte Ltd

[Yewheng]

Or maybe first world cleanliness issue. The cleaner we are used to the weaker our immunity is when we exposed to these bacteria. Guess only ah, me not scientist or doctor. But the 3rd world countries more people die of other diesease, but could be because of lack in medical support.

I don't think it got to do with the way people handle fish and their hygiene. But rather what is happening around the world ultimately affect us a little.

 

Like fukushima nuclear plant radiation. I have a crazy theory that these radiation gets picked up by fishes along the way and stayed in their body for very long. Remember nuclear radiation can take more then 20 yrs to biodegrade.

 

So these fishes give birth to baby fish and the baby fishes also have small traces of radiation. People have have weak immune system last time used to eat raw fish bo dai ji now gets affected. Those who are healthy are not affected as the radiation amount traces maybe very small to cause any real problem.

 

Science is a very funny thing, there are a lot of things that even scientists also couldn't figure out the answer or don't know many of the things exist yet.

 

This is just my wild imagination, so take this as a pinch of salt as it is not backed up by any scientific theory. Haha

Edited December 3, 2015 by Yewheng

[Lala81]

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/i-find-new-goals-every/2384590.html

 

 

SINGAPORE: Former technician Tan Whee Boon used to rely on his hands to make a living. But life took a dramatic turn after doctors had to amputate all his limbs about five months ago. 

Three days after Mr Tan, 50, ate a plate of yusheng - a raw fish dish - he found himself in hospital, where he drifted in and out of consciousness for about two weeks, before finding out that his hands and feet had turned gangrenous due to a drug that helped save his life.

ADVERTISING

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reports say initial investigations revealed that Group B Streptococcus (GBS) was one of three types of bacteria present in Mr Tan's body. Authorities had also found traces of GBS in raw fish samples in July as they probed a spike in GBS cases. 

Months on, however, doctors are still unable to pinpoint what exactly caused Mr Tan to fall ill. "They have not been able to give us a concrete answer, only their suspicions or possible causes," Mr Tan's wife Mdm Choong Siet Mei said. The doctors said the yusheng was one possibility, she added.

When Channel NewsAsia visited Mr Tan, he was cheery despite his physical circumstances. While soft-spoken, his smile reached his eyes as he wheeled himself out of his bedroom on a donated wheelchair.

"Now that I can't find employment, I try to find a new goal every day. There's an Amputee Support Group (at Tan Tock Seng Hospital). I take part in some activities that they organise," said Mr Tan in Mandarin. "They have a meeting every month, which I attend." 

Mr Tan added that his 47-year-old wife has been a pillar of support. "She doesn't even have time to herself. Her time is mine," Mr Tan said, with a hint of wistfulness in his eyes.

"Without me, he can't do anything!" Mdm Choong said, while laughing. She explained that while people who have had their legs amputated can get around using a wheelchair, it is much harder for those with no hands. 

"You can barely do anything," Mr Tan said. "At first, I did not think it was inconvenient, as my wife would always be with me. But when she needed to tend to her own things, I realised I was really helpless. That's when I felt the inconvenience of having no limbs." 

NEXT CHAPTER: PROSTHETICS

All this could soon change. Mr Tan said he is meeting doctors next month to see if he is suitable for prosthetics. 

Mdm Choong is hopeful that Mr Tan will be able to use them and start a new chapter. 

The Tan family, which includes two school-going children aged 14 and 15, has been relying on donations. They poured in from family, Mr Tan's old classmates, their children's schools, as well as two crowdfunding campaigns started by strangers. 

Mr Tan, who was the family's sole breadwinner before the incident, said they mainly use the money received on their children, as well as daily expenses. 

"We're thinking long-term. We don't know when he can go back to work," said Mdm Choong. 

"Even if I go job-hunting, I need a pair of hands," said Mr Tan.

STRANGERS WITH BIG HEARTS

In August, two online campaigns raising funds for Mr Tan emerged on crowdfunding platform Indiegogo. Both were started by individuals who did not know the Tan family personally. One, started by Ms Dorothy Lim, raised US$29,244 (S$41,300), while the other by Mr Troy Ang garnered US$12,370 (S$17,500) in donations.

Mdm Choong's eyes lit up when talking about the campaigns. She admitted to being skeptical initially, but relented after a friend tracked down the two people who started the campaigns. "At first we were worried, because there are many opportunists out there. But after they came down to meet with me, I felt a lot more at ease," she said. 

Mdm Choong got visibly emotional as she recounted the generosity of people she did not know. "We really want to thank those who have such big hearts. They are mostly strangers. Why would they do this for us?" she asked, apologising profusely while wiping away her tears. 

Mr Tan and Mdm Choong also credited their children's principals and teachers with their assistance throughout the difficult period. "They helped us with fundraising, and helped to settle everything school-related," Mdm Choong said. 

Their daughter has been putting on a brave front as well. "She said: 'Mummy, we have no choice now. It's okay, Dad can put on prosthetics,"  Mdm Choong added.

As for Mr Tan, he says he chooses to focus on the positive. "I am happiest when I see my wife every day," he said, beaming. 

- CNA/dl

[Jman888]

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/i-find-new-goals-every/2384590.html

 

 

this coming CNY will see more innovative ideas for lo hei 

[Blueray]

GBS bacteria patients double in July, cases similar to 2015 outbreak from eating raw fish

Quote

SINGAPORE - The authorities are looking into a recent spike in bacterial infections that were associated with eating raw freshwater fish in the past.

In a Friday (Aug 28) circular to doctors seen by The Straits Times, Ministry of Health (MOH) medical services director Kenneth Mak said 50 cases of invasive Group B Streptococcus (GBS) were reported by public hospitals last month.

This is twice the average monthly figure of 25 from earlier this year.

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/health/gbs-bacteria-patients-double-in-july-cases-similar-to-2015-outbreak-from-eating-raw

[Chongster]

damn scary,  now oysters season some more but dare not eat anymore.  

those seasonal fish sashimi i think best to avoid also. stick to the tuna, salmon, yellow tail etc that has been deep freezed.