Illness strikes Borei Keila evictees

A girl draws water from pots in Tuol Sambo village yesterday. About 26 people fell ill after consuming bean sprouts at the site. (Pha Lina)

Monday, 12 March 2012
Khouth Sophakchakrya
The Phnom Penh Post

Woes continued for 26 relocated former Borei Keila residents, who fainted after vomiting and suffering diarrhoea at Tuol Sambo Village in Dangkor district’s Prey Veng commune on Saturday.

Khum Khern, village chief of Tuol Sambo, told the Post that most of the villagers who had fainted were children under 10.

Food poisoning caused by contaminated bean sprouts was the most likely cause, but heat may also have played a part, he said.

“The many villagers who fainted were transported to the referral hospital in Choam Chao commune, Samdech Ov, and the Cambodia-Russia Friendship Hospital,” he said.

“All of them have recovered and returned home, except for Tum Sreymao, 61, who is still receiving treatment in hospital.”

After leaving the referral hospital in Choam Chao commune, Keov Sitha, 24, told the Post that six members of his family had fainted after eating rice porridge mixed with bean sprouts.

He had bought the food for his niece, nephew, brother, mother and wife on Saturday morning.

About 30 minutes after they had eaten, they began having stomachaches, diarrhoea and vomiting.

“At first, I thought they were sick because they drank water from the well, but I wasn’t exactly sure,” he said.

“After I ate the remaining porridge with bean sprouts, I began suffering the same ill effects as them. I knew then that it was from the food.

“Although the well water has a lot of lime flavour to it, our villagers have used it to cook and drink without any problems,” he said.

Cheng Savuth, a representative of development firm Phan Imex, said health officials had taken water samples and bean sprouts to be tested, adding a woman who had sold the bean sprouts had fled.

“I think she worried about the victims filing a complaint against her,” Cheng Savuth said.