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Tasikmalaya declares 'extraordinary occurrence' as 215 people suffer food poisoning
According to Tasikmalaya Health Agency, 171 people had recovered as of Monday.
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Illustration of a patient lying on a hospital bed. (Shutterstock/wandee007)
T
he Tasikmalaya administration in West Java has declared an "extraordinary occurrence" (KLB) as the number of people who fell ill in a case of mass food poisoning, believed to be connected to nasi kuning (yellow rice) served at a recent event, reached 215 on Monday.
Mayor Budi Budiman said the administration would cover medical expenses for all the victims of the incident, which took place at a birthday party in the city's Cilange village in Mangkubumi district on Thursday.
The majority of the victims were children as the event was held to celebrate the birthday of a businessman's child. Budi said that the food poisoning was an unintended occurrence because most family members had also fallen ill.
“We are now focusing on taking care of the victims. There are still 44 patients under treatment at the Puskesmas [community health center], 25 in Soekardjo General Hospital and other private hospitals," Budi said as quoted by kompas.com.
“Once the laboratory test results are out, we will find the cause [of the food poisoning],” he went on, adding that the results would probably come out on Monday afternoon.
According to Tasikmalaya Health Agency, 171 people had recovered as of Monday.
Some patients received treatment in classrooms of Puspasari Elementary School, located next to Mangkubumi Puskesmas, which served as an alternative emergency room.
Previously on Friday, Tasikmalaya Health Agency spokesperson Titie Purwaningsari said that the food poisoning might have been caused by the use of expired food ingredients.
“Usually, food poisoning from yellow rice is caused by expired coconut milk used as an ingredient. However, we will still wait for the laboratory test results to make sure of the cause,” Titie said.
People have different reactions to the bacteria in expired coconut milk, she added, People with strong immune systems, for instance, are likely to experience mild symptoms like frequent urination. However, those with weak conditions might suffer headaches, vomiting or even seizures. (trn)
