Japan food poisoning outbreak claims fourth victim
May 5, 2011, 8:39 GMT
Tokyo - A woman died Thursday of food poisoning in central Japan, bringing the total number of deaths linked to a raw meat dish served at a restaurant chain to four, while 70 others have fallen ill, news reports said.
The woman was infected with the E coli O-111 strain, like the previous victims, Jiji Press reported citing local health officials.
She went to a restaurant in Tonami, Toyama prefecture, with her family, including another woman who died Wednesday. The two had eaten yukhoe, a dish similar to tartare, served at the eatery run by Foods Forus Co, based in nearby Kanazawa.
A 6-year-old boy also fell ill and died Friday after eating the dish at the same restaurant.
Another boy died a week ago in nearby Fukui prefecture after eating the same dish at another of the company's restaurants.
Jiji reported that 70 other people were suspected to be suffering from food poisoning after eating at the company's restaurants. One of them, confirmed to be infected with the E coli 0-111 strain, is in critical condition.
The company told a news conference that it had failed for the last two years to conduct hygiene inspections of raw meat supplied for the dish by a Tokyo-based wholesaler.
The company will face a criminal investigation, Jiji said.作者: peter236 時間: 2011-5-5 02:38
