Thoroughly cooked fish poses no GBS risk: Experts

SINGAPORE — Eating fish that is thoroughly cooked poses no risk of a person contracting Group B Streptococcus (GBS) infection, even for those with weakened immune systems. Infectious disease experts said this in the wake of the Health Ministry’s investigation findings that linked these infections to the consumption of Chinese-style raw- fish dishes.

The National Environment Agency (NEA), which has ordered stallholders to stop selling these dishes indefinitely, warned of inherent risks in eating raw food. As a general precaution, it has advised vulnerable groups of people such as children, pregnant women, the elderly or those with chronic illnesses to avoid consuming raw food.

But experts said the risk is not eliminated just because a fish is cooked. They stressed that cooking fish thoroughly is the key.

A case in point is a 75-year-old woman who in late September contracted GBS, which doctors suspect came from her consumption of steamed fish that was not thoroughly cooked. She had to be hospitalised for two weeks and put on antibiotics for one month.

Her 37-year-old daughter, who declined to be named, said her mother had an underlying condition called cellulitis, which makes it difficult for fluids to flow through her body and causes leg swelling.

Dr Leong Hoe Nam from the Rophi Clinic at Mount Elizabeth Novena Specialist Centre said that thoroughly cooking food kills all bacteria and properly cooked fish poses no risk, even to those with weaker immune systems.

“As part of public health education, the only GBS that we’re scared of with regard to fish consumption is this particular outbreak strain (ST283),” added Dr Hsu Li Yang, infectious disease physician at the ID Clinic at Mount Elizabeth Novena Specialist Centre. “But as long as fish is cooked, it should be fine.”