September 27, 2025 | 09:07 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Health expert Tjandra Yoga Aditama highlights the results of laboratory tests related to mass poisoning cases in Indonesia's Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program in West Java, including West Bandung Regency. Based on the regional health laboratory report, Salmonella and Bacillus cereus bacteria were found in several food samples that were tested.
According to Tjandra, this finding aligns with global references. "Salmonella bacterial contamination is usually associated with high-protein foods such as meat, poultry, and eggs. Meanwhile, Bacillus cereus often appears due to improper rice storage," Tjandra said in a written statement on Saturday, September 27th, 2025.
The former Director of Communicable Diseases at the World Health Organization (WHO) for Southeast Asia emphasized that food poisoning can occur in various parts of the world and is not always associated with the MBG program. However, to ensure the cause, it is recommended that laboratories in Indonesia conduct more comprehensive testing in accordance with WHO guidelines.
WHO mentions that there are at least five things that can be examined in cases of food poisoning, namely bacteria, viruses, parasites, prions, and chemical contamination.
He explained bacteria in more detail. In addition to Salmonella, cases of food poisoning often involve Campylobacter, Escherichia coli, Listeria, or Vibrio cholerae. "The second is viruses, including Norovirus and Hepatitis A," said Tjandra.
The third is parasites. For example, like trematode worms, tapeworms Taenia, Ascaris, Cryptosporidium, and Giardia. The fourth is prions or infectious materials consisting of proteins. Tjandra said that although rare, prions can trigger diseases such as Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE).
"The fifth is chemical substances. Starting from heavy metals (lead, mercury, cadmium), persistent organic pollutants (dioxins, PCBs), to food toxins such as aflatoxins," he said.
Tjandra emphasized that this list does not mean that all possibilities occur in MBG cases in Indonesia. "I am conveying this WHO general explanation only as part of our vigilance," he said.
Previous cases of MBG poisoning in West Bandung have affected more than a thousand people, mostly students. Until the fifth day, 65 people are still being intensively treated in health facilities.
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