Most Food, Drinks Sold In Kota Baharu Contain Harmful Bacteria

KOTA BAHARU, Oct 1 (Bernama) -- Sixty-nine per cent of food and drinks samples taken from food stalls and coffee shops in this town contain bacteria harmful to health, Kelantan health director Datuk Dr Ahmad Razin Ahmad Mahir said.
He said health officials took the samples of food and drinks sold by traders from time to time for analysis.
"From experience, the situation becomes more critical during Ramadan because more people will set up stalls to sell all sorts of delicacies for the breaking of fast," he told reporters Saturday after opening an Asia Pacific conference on the management of risk management in preventive medicine.
Ahmad Razin said the department's enforcement officers would step up checks during the fasting month to ensure food operators followed health standards.
He said food prepared in unhygienic ways could cause food-poisoning and even result in an outbreak of diseases like typhoid.
The three-day conference is attended by 185 academicians, professionals, para-medics and scientists from several countries that include Switzerland, Japan, South Africa, United Kingdom, Sweden and Malaysia.
The conference will discuss the risks in managing epidemics like the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and bird flu as well as threats from typhoons, tsunami, accidents and terrorist attacks.