Dubai: Abu Dhabi saw 300 cases of salmonella last year, according to the emirate's Health Authority (ADHA).
"Salmonellosis, brucellosis, shigellosis and E. coli are the main public health concerns in the UAE," Dr. Farida Al Hosani, Senior Regional Officer at the Communicable Diseases Control Section of the ADHA, said.
"We had about 300 cases of salmonella last year. The main incidents come from an outbreak in a labour accommodation, which spreads quickly through human contact," she said.
Dr Farida spoke at a symposium on food-borne illnesses yesterday as part of the fifth annual Dubai International Food Safety Conference.
"The Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority investigates all the cases and they were able to link many of them to certain restaurants," she said.
Dr Farida said the ADHA had begun implementing an e-notification system in government and private hospitals and clinics. "We started the e-notification system just two months ago. This will replace the manual hard copy form currently in use.
Dr Farida mentioned a case study in which the child of a VIP family had contracted salmonella. "At first the family was reluctant to allow us to investigate the household to determine the source of the disease, but changed their mind when we explained that the rest of them may be at risk," she said.
"They had about 20 kitchen staff… their supervisor was very strict and insisted that he be the only person to handle the children's food. Ironically it turned out he was the carrier."
