State health officials in Johor have weighed in on a case of mass food poisoning that affected 120 students at the Johor Government Religious Secondary School (SMAKJ) yesterday, saying they believe the culprit to have been fried noodles (mee goreng) that the victims ate for breakfast.
Officials first received the notice of the mass food poisoning at 10:20am yesterday, and were told that some of the students had been sent to a nearby medical clinic, while 60 more were on their way to the hospital. All are now receiving outpatient treatment from the nearby Hospital Enche’ Besar Hajjah Khalsom in Kluang.
Later that morning, health office officials went to the school canteen to ensure that the situation was under control (which we can only imagine means stopping them from serving food until they figured out what was giving everyone stomachaches, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, headaches, and fever, or — to use the clinical term — bubble guts).
Johor Health Director Dr. Aman Rabu told media in a statement that the poisoning was caused by the mee goreng; however, he added that investigations were not complete and that laboratory tests were still being carried out to determine the exact cause.
The kitchen has been temporarily closed, and if initial suspicions are correct, we doubt anyone is going to be in the mood for fried noodles for a while.
Indeed, it’s shaping up to be a rough year for Malaysian teachers and students, gastrointestinal issues-wise.
