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SINGAPORE – None of the food stalls visited by patients who recently contracted an infectious strain of group B streptococcus (GBS) had sold raw fish dishes, authorities said on Sunday (August 30).
The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) also failed to detect GBS Type III ST283, the same bacteria that infected some 160 patients who ate raw freshwater fish in 2015, in its routine sampling and analysis of fish samples between May of the year. last and August of this year.
In a joint statement with the Ministry of Health (MOH), the SFA said it is conducting field investigations at various locations and gathering information on the dietary history of patients as part of its investigation into the recent increase in GBS cases.
This included inspecting the food stalls that those patients had visited.
The joint statement follows a Friday circular from the Health Ministry to doctors that said public hospitals reported 50 cases of invasive GBS last month, double the monthly average figure of 25 from earlier this year.
Laboratory tests showed that 18 of these 50 cases were infected with GBS Type III ST283, and the profiles of these patients are similar to those who were infected by the same bacteria in the 2015 outbreak.
Since December 2015 a ban on the sale of freshwater fish as ready-to-eat raw fish dishes has been in force.
The Health Ministry said that the majority of GBS Type III ST283 cases were 65 years or older, and since then most have been discharged and recovered from the infection.
One died of an unrelated cause.
The Ministry of Health reminded the food stalls that sell raw fish ready to eat to ensure good hygiene practices and proper handling of the fish.
He also alerted doctors to stay vigilant and report suspected cases of invasive GBS.
As a general precaution, vulnerable groups of people, especially young children, pregnant women, the elderly or people with chronic diseases such as diabetes, may be more susceptible and should be careful to avoid consuming raw foods, said the Ministry of Health.
He advised people to cook their food well, wash their hands and utensils before preparing and consuming food, and to use separate equipment to prepare cooked and raw food.
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