Kota Kinabalu: A 10-year-old who died, believed to be from food poisoning, on Thursday in Sandakan had a history of consuming food bought by his father two days earlier.
State Health Department Director Datuk Dr Asits Sanna said the child had experienced symptoms of diarrhoea, fever and loss of appetite. On Wednesday, he suffered a seizure and was subsequently taken to the hospital for treatment.
He said emergency treatment was administered as the child was found to be unconscious and required respiratory assistance.
“The child was admitted to the Paediatric Medical Ward before being pronounced dead. Initial information obtained indicates that the child’s mother also consumed the same food and experienced similar symptoms.
“She received treatment in the women’s medical ward at the Duchess of Kent Hospital in Sandakan,” he said in a statement.
However, Dr Asits said the complete history of movement and exposure to food and the cause of death were still under investigation, and urged the public not to speculate on the incident.
“Food and environmental samples have been taken to determine the cause of the incident. Food poisoning is an illness caused by consuming contaminated food or drink,” he said.
He explained that food poisoning could also be caused by bacteria or bacterial toxins, viruses, parasites, chemicals such as insecticides and herbicides, heavy metals, and toxic plants such as mushrooms and seafood like shellfish.
He advised the public to take precautionary measures, including consuming food cooked or prepared within four hours, storing food at appropriate temperatures and not exceeding recommended storage times, and maintaining hygiene.
“The public is also advised to seek immediate medical treatment if they experience symptoms of food poisoning,” he said.
