Suspected Group Food Poisoning Symptoms Among Over 10 People at Jeju Gimbap Restaurant... Health Authorities Investigating

Suspected Mass Food Poisoning at Jeju Gimbap Restaurant
Last Month, Mass Food Poisoning at Famous Naengmyeon Restaurant... Salmonella Detected in Eggs
77% of Salmonella Food Poisoning Cases Infected by Eating Eggs

Amid concerns about food poisoning incidents during the summer heat, a suspected case of mass food poisoning has been confirmed in the Jeju area. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] A suspected mass food poisoning case has been confirmed at a famous restaurant in Jeju Island, prompting Jeju quarantine authorities to launch an epidemiological investigation. The restaurant has currently suspended operations.

According to Jeju Island on the 6th, 13 tourists who ate packed gimbap and other items from a well-known snack bar in Jeju City the previous afternoon reported symptoms suspected of food poisoning, such as vomiting and abdominal pain.

Jeju City conducted environmental sampling of the restaurant’s ingredients and cutting boards, and health authorities are conducting tests for food poisoning-related bacteria on the suspected patients.

Food poisoning incidents are occurring one after another due to the summer heat. Last month, 34 customers who ate at a famous cold noodle restaurant in Gimhae City, Gyeongnam Province, suffered from mass food poisoning. Among them, a man in his 60s died three days after being hospitalized while receiving treatment for food poisoning symptoms. According to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and the Gimhae Health Center, Salmonella bacteria, which cause food poisoning, were detected in the egg garnish at the restaurant.

Salmonella is a representative cause of food poisoning and is difficult to detect by smell or taste, earning it the nickname "silent killer." The main source of Salmonella infection is eggs. According to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, among 110 reported cases (6,838 people) of Salmonella food poisoning over the past five years (2017?2021), 77% (41 cases, 5,257 people) were infected after consuming foods containing eggs or egg garnish.