In 2015, there was an outbreak of Group B Streptococcus (GBS) poisoning in Singapore from raw freshwater fish, causing infections and fevers for over 160 people.
As if 2020 couldn’t get any worse, the Ministry of Health (MOH) says that they see an increase in the number of GBS infection cases this year.
While there are normally around 25 cases monthly, Jul 2020 saw 50 cases in hospitals, according to Lianhe Zaobao.
Lianhe Zaobao cites a circular from MOH that mentioned the 50 cases in Jul 2020.
According to the circular, further laboratory results show that 18 cases were caused by ST283 GBS, the strain that caused the severe infections.
2 people died in 2015 from severe GBS infections, while others had to amputate limbs to survive.
The bacteria may occasionally cause skin, brain or heart infections, although it doesn’t commonly cause severe disease.
Most of the ST283 cases in 2020 occurred in people above 65 years old, all ethnic Chinese.
All of the cases except 1 have recovered — that patient unfortunately died of unrelated causes.
The Zaobao article mentions that both MOH and the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) are investigating the cause of the outbreak.
Doctors have also been told to refer suspected severe GBS infections to hospital for more detailed check-ups.
The infection can be caught by eating certain types of raw freshwater fish, such as yu sheng.
Yu sheng can be found not only in the Chinese New Year dish but also some porridge stores.
Before 2015, GBS was not considered a foodborne infection, until the outbreak proved otherwise.
Then, last year, Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) researchers found the ST283 strain caused the 2015 outbreak, and that it’s been prevalent in South East Asia for decades.
Food like salmon sashimi, also a type of raw fish dish, isn’t thought to cause GBS infections. The outbreak in 2015 was linked to Song fish and Toman fish, which were banned here.
A 2017 medical article found that infections are largely caused by improper sourcing and handling of raw fish.
If your fish dish is prepared properly or cooked, there shouldn’t be a risk of infection.
The outbreak is still under investigation. However, there’s some chance that yu sheng might be involved — we’ll have to wait and see.
Featured image adapted from Yelp and Shape Singapore.
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His lawyer added that he does not plan to make a statement regarding the case.
She collaborated with Visit Singapore to promote tourism on the island.