KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 6 — An ‘ayam masak lemak’ dish is suspected to be the cause of food poisonings involving 137 kindergarten (Taman Bimbingan Kanak-Kanak) teachers who were attending a two-day course at a training centre in Cheras, here.

Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said an investigation by the Cheras Health Office (PKC) found that the course participants had consumed the dish during a dinner at the hall of the training centre on Saturday night.

"Clinical samples from the cases and food samples had been taken and sent to the laboratory for analyses. PKC is still investigating further to identify the actual cause of the incidents of food poisoning,” he said in a statement last night.

He said the kitchen at the training centre’s cafeteria had been closed under the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 for further investigation and disinfection of the whole premises, and it would be reopened after improvements were carried out by the management of the cafeteria.

"The management of the cafeteria has also been asked to keep ‘holding samples’ each time a course is conducted at the centre,” he said.

It was reported that 137 teachers from Pusat Asuhan Tunas Islam (Pasti) in the Kuala Lumpur Federal Territory came down with food poisonings early yesterday morning and were sent to the emergency unit of the Chancellor Tuanku Muhriz Hospital (HCTM) after complaining of stomach ache, diarrhoea and vomiting.

Dr Noor Hisham also said all the victims were stable and were given outpatient treatments at HCTM. — Bernama