18 Students Food Poisoning On Jomtien Beach Restaurant

[Neal]

Pattaya One reports:


18 school children from Pichit Province who had come to Pattaya on a visit with teachers and parents were struck down by suspected food poisoning in the early hours of Tuesday which required an urgent trip to the Hospital.

The children, who were part of a group of 70 students, were taken to Banglamung Hospital. Doctors were told that they were living in a Temple on Jomtien Beach and on Monday Night the group had gone to a restaurant at the far-end of Jomtien Beach for dinner.

Doctors suspect that a problem with the preparation of the rice, which was the common ingredient consumed by all the children, may have caused the sudden illness. Public Health Officials are now investigating the restaurant, which they refuse to name.

[cdnmatt]

Doctors suspect that a problem with the preparation of the rice, which was the common ingredient consumed by all the children, may have caused the sudden illness.

The preparation of rice? What did the restaurant do? Reheat rice they cooked a couple days earlier, which was now infested with maggot larvae?

[adman5000]

I understand that if cooked rice is not refrigerated or kept in a rice cooker at 140 degrees, bacteria can easily develop. Most Thai places I have stayed keep it in the rice cooker or make frequent batches of cooked rice. Perhaps this place did not do either of these things.

[paulo15]

It's surprisingly common if the restaurant doesn't refigerate their cooked rice and use it for fried rice the next day. It's Bacillus cereus that causes the poisioning and multiplies in warm conditions. It affects the young. elderly etc more severely than normal healthy adults, but will cause unpleasant symptoms.

[stevehadders]

Yes it's very common and one of the most at risk food types surprisingly. Most of the time when people complain of stomach problems etc after a curry its the rice that has been infected, not the curry. This was a very bad poisoning though. When I first read the headline, I did think ...well I read a post from Monty saying he had a new business venture planned"