Two poisoning clusters

The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of Hong Kong’s Department of Health is currently investigating two food poisoning clusters that have affected 41 individuals.

The first cluster involves one male and 11 females, aged between 20 and 50, who experienced abdominal pain and diarrhoea approximately two to 15 hours after consuming food from Cateraway, a food factory in Kwun Tong, on the night of December 13. The second cluster includes seven males and 22 females, aged from 5 to 77, who reported similar symptoms three to 18 hours after eating from the same establishment on the same day.

Of the 41 affected individuals, only one sought medical attention, and none required hospitalisation. Initial investigations by the CHP indicated that common items consumed included scallop and seafood pizza with Thousand Island dressing, spaghetti with mentaiko cuttlefish in creamy chilli sauce, and dishes featuring black truffle sauce. The suspected cause of the outbreak is clostridium perfringens.