Are Waiters’ Hand-germs Killing Us?

John B Monteiro

Researchers found amoebic cysts on the hands of 11.2% waiters in roadside eateries. These cysts can cause forms of amoebiasis, from dysentery to amoebic liver abscess, the third most common cause of death (after schistosomiasis and malaria) from parasite infections. What makes eating at roadside kiosks more dangerous is that these units do not follow hygienic practices and have unclean cooking practices. Eateries are often located near open drains or garbage bins. People in the city are also extremely vulnerable to food poisoning.

It is an extremely scary situation, said IPHA state president Dr S Elango, who led the study. “We did not know these dangers existed before the study.” he said. “Food inspectors often test food quality but rarely check health and hygiene of people who handle food.” The situation could be even worse”, he said. “We don’t know if there are other, more serious health risks because our study covered a limited number of disease causing micro-organisms” he said.

Dr Elango’s surveyed 250 restaurants and eateries over six months and checked the hands of 1,000 people who handled food. The subjects’ hands were dipped in distilled water that was then tested in labs. The tests showed that the water contained E.coli and several other micro-organisms.

Scientists in the UK and France are now finding that lack of food safety measures could lead to the growth of super-bugs that are resistant to antibiotics. Across the globe, experts have called on health officials to step up monitoring and stop super-bugs like salmonella and typhimurium from spreading globally.

City health officer B Kuganatham estimates that at least 65 lakh people in Chennai eat or drink in hotels or eateries at least once every day. The trade licences for hotels and eateries are issued by the State Food and Drug Safety Authority as per the provision of the Food Safety Act.  The law mandates hygienic practices in food handlers – including regular washing of hands with soap, use of disposable gloves, hair covers and clean clothes. A senior member of the city’s hotel owners’ association said that many restaurants do not follow the prescribed norms. “I work in a five star restaurant and we have stringent norms, a chef said. “But workers in our kitchens rarely wear gloves or follow the other protocol”.
Senior surgical gastroenterologist, Dr. S M Chandramohan, said that more than two-thirds of his patients with food poisoning or stomach infection had been regularly eating out. Symptoms of stomach infection show up within minutes in some cases and sometimes take days.

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