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By Erin Keller
Reporter (Live News)
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At least 60 people developed flu-like symptoms Tuesday after a mass food poisoning at the office of TikTok owner ByteDance in Singapore.
A total of 17 ambulances were sent to the office at One Raffles Quay after multiple calls for medical help for people experiencing abdominal pain and vomiting after eating food from the same source, according to the Singapore Civil Defence Force.
As of Tuesday evening in the country, 57 of those affected had sought medical attention at different hospitals, including Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore General Hospital, and Raffles Hospital, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) and Ministry of Health (MOH) said in a joint statement.
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A company announcement to ByteDance employees obtained by Channel News Asia claimed the workers fell ill after "their recent visit to the L26 canteen." An anonymous employee told the outlet that the "China-style Chinese food" canteen on the 26th floor is "quite popular among employees."
"It's a new vendor which was only recently engaged, perhaps two months ago," the employee told CNA.
"My colleagues felt nauseous about an hour after lunch (around 3pm). Mostly vomiting and diarrhea. The toilets were all full and there were people lying on the floor. The whole office smelled like vomit," they added, noting those who visited the general practitioner clinic obtained three days of sick leave.
Newsweek has contacted Bytedance, the SFA, and MOH for comment.
Gastroenteritis, commonly known as the stomach flu, is inflammation that spreads from your stomach into your intestines, causing pain, vomiting, and diarrhea, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
"When it feels like it's 'coming out both ends,' you've usually ingested a virus, bacteria or chemical by mistake," the clinic's website claims.
A ByteDance spokesperson told The Straits Times in a statement, "We take the health and safety of our employees very seriously and have taken immediate steps to support all affected employees, including working with emergency services to provide care."
"We are investigating the matter and are working with the relevant authorities on this."
This is the second mass food poisoning in Singapore within a week.
Between July 23 and 24, 165 Singapore Civil Defence Force employees at the Civil Defence Academy campus in Jalan Bahar also suffered mild gastroenteritis and had symptoms including abdominal discomfort and diarrhea.
Last week in the US, dozens of coffee products were recalled because of the potential for a deadly toxin to be present, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
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