Scombroid poisoning among prisoners of a prison in Johor, Malaysia

Muhamad Farhan Ab Razak and Nor Hana Ahmad Bahuri and Mohamad Nizam Subahir and Farha Ibrahim and Peter Tok Seah Keng and Haidar Rizal Toha and Mohd Rohaizat Hassan and Rozita Hod and Qistina Mohd Ghazali and Mohd ‘Ammar Ihsan Ahmad Zamzuri5 and Rahmat Dapari and Syed Sharizman Syed Abdul Rahim (2024) Scombroid poisoning among prisoners of a prison in Johor, Malaysia. Malaysian Journal of Public Health Medicine (MJPHM), 24 (1). pp. 1-7.

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Abstract

Scombroid poisoning is a food poisoning caused by ingesting contaminated fish from the Scombridae family, which presented as an allergic reaction due to over-histamine release. On 15th of April 2019, Kluang District Health Office received notification of a suspected food poisoning outbreak among prisoners in Johor, Malaysia following several of them experiencing allergic reactions after consumption of fish during dinner. Thus, this study aimed to describe the epidemiological characteristics of the outbreak, determine the extent and causative agent and make recommendations on the control and preventive measures. In this study, a case is delineated as a prisoner confined at Kluang Prison A displaying symptoms of scombroid poisoning—urticaria, respiratory distress, headache, eye redness, fever, or diarrhoea—after consuming fried ikan tongkol and mackerel during dinner on April 15, 2019, from 16:30 to 22:00 hours. Data on demographic characteristics, the onset of food poisoning and allergic symptoms, critical control point assessment of raw fish, food intake history and food preparation method were obtained. Of 3156 prisoners 30 (0.95% attack rate) were infected during this outbreak. Five prisoners were referred to the hospital and 3 of them were required admission. Predominant clinical features were urticaria (96.7%), shortness of breath (66.7%), eye redness (56.7%), fever (46.7%) and diarrhoea (36.7%). Moreover, the study revealed that fried mackerel fish has a high histamine level (430.3 mg/kg). The poisoning occurs due to a breach in critical control point during fish preparation. The outbreak was declared free on 16 April 2019. The scombroid poisoning outbreak in Kluang Prison A was conclusively attributed to spoiled mackerel fish. The investigation revealed significant lapses in food cleanliness within the prison, with a notable contribution to cross-contamination by food handlers. The findings underscore the importance of collaborative efforts among the prison administration, prisoners, and health officers to prevent future incidents of food poisoning.

Item Type:	Article
Keyword:	scombroid, poisoning, prisoners
Subjects:	R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine > RA1-1270 Public aspects of medicine R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine > RA1-1270 Public aspects of medicine > RA1190-1270 Toxicology. Poisons
Department:	FACULTY > Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences
Depositing User:	ABDULLAH BIN SABUDIN -
Date Deposited:	16 May 2025 12:32
Last Modified:	16 May 2025 12:32
URI:	https://eprints.ums.edu.my/id/eprint/43734

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