The Hong Kong Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) today ordered the temporary closure of a food stall after the bacterium, Vibrio cholerae was detected in their fish tank.

 

Vibrio cholerae
Image/CDC

A water sample was taken from a fish tank at stall no. 5 of Yue Wan Market Cooked Food Centre, Yee Fung Street, Chai Wan, which tested positive for Vibrio cholerae O1 E1 Tor serotype Ogawa.

An immediate closure was ordered and the food stall will remain closed while thorough cleansing and disinfection of the premises and fish tanks takes place. A department spokesman ensured the public by saying, “Vibrio cholerae cannot survive under high temperature and can be killed by thorough cooking.”

Cholera is a bacterial disease that can cause diarrhea and dehydration. Cholera is most often spread through the ingestion of contaminated food or drinking water. Water may be contaminated by the feces of an infected person or by untreated sewage. Food is often contaminated by water containing cholera bacteria or by being handled by a person ill with cholera.  For more infectious disease news and information, visit and “like” the Infectious Disease News Facebook page