‘Monitoring of SE in chicken eggs ongoing’
KUALA LUMPUR: The Health Ministry’s Food Safety and Quality Division will work with the Veterinary Services Department to inspect the premises and chicken eggs contaminated with S al monella enteritidis (SE).
The division’s senior director, Mohd Salim Dulatti, said the monitoring of SE in chicken eggs had always been ongoing.
“To date, 364 chicken egg samples have been analysed and only two of those samples contain SE,” he said yesterday.
Salim said SE was a type of bacteria that could be present in the gastrointestinal tract of chickens and might affect eggs through cross-contamination from droppings to egg.
It could also contaminate eggs during the formation of chicken eggs if the SE infection occurred in the reproductive tissues of the livestock, he said.
He said improper handling of chicken eggshells or improperly cooked chicken eggs could lead to food poisoning (Salmonellosis), where infected people could develop fever, stomach cramps and diarrhoea starting 12 to 72 hours after eating contaminated food.
“At-risk groups, such as the elderly, infants and those with immune system disorders, are more likely to develop a more severe course of the disease and require hospital treatment.”
To avoid food poisoning due to these bacteria, he said consumers were advised to wash chicken eggs thoroughly before use and avoid using cracked or broken chicken eggs as they might be contaminated with the SE bacteria.
Also, people should cook chicken eggs thoroughly until the yolks and whites of chicken eggs hardened before eating, he said.
“If consumers have doubts about the safety status of food available in the local market, they can make a report to the ministry through a district Health Office or state Health Department.
“Consumers can also check through the Health Ministry website or the Food Safety and Quality Division Facebook at www. facebook.com/bkkmhq.”