Hospital damper in fight against food poisoning

NST: KUALA LUMPUR: For 10 years, doctors could have done something to spare thousands of Malaysians the agony of food poisoning — if not for government hospitals.
Not a single hospital has sent stool samples to Universiti Malaya’s Institute of Biological Sciences to ascertain if viruses were the cause of the ailment.
It was not that doctors could have treated the problem: Antibiotics do not work on viruses.
But they could have stopped family and friends of victims from contracting gastroenteritis which causes up to three days of pain, diarrhoea and vomitting.
Patients could have been advised to isolate themselves for the duration of the problem so as not to infect others and cause, among other things, loss of productivity at work.
Associate Prof Dr Nassar Banu Ghulam Rasool is particularly unhappy by the lack of response from hospitals.
The virologist at the institute has been waiting for 10 years to use more than RM100,000 worth of equipment and diagnostic tools bought specially to identify the cause of food poisoning.
Isolating the cause of the food poisoning could have prevented the children from suffering, she said.
"Of late, many adults and children have been suffering from acute food poisoning."
Noroviruses, which cause food poisoning, are especially tough on the patients.
It was named after Norwalk, Ohio, where an outbreak of what was then called "winter vomiting disease" occurred at an elementary school in November 1968.
A test on stool samples in 1972 identified the virus.
People can become infected with the virus in several ways, such as eating contaminated food or drinks, touching contaminated surfaces or having direct contact with victims.
But it is still not too late to put the equipment to good use.
Nassar said it was important to use the technology to determine the diversity of Norwalk-like virus strains in children and adults.
"It will be a pity if we do not use the equipment that we have to help Malaysians tackle food poisoning."