484 food workers out of total 3,846 found sick: PFA DG

As many as 484 food handlers (FHs) out of total 3,846 were found sick during a medical test conducted by the Punjab Food Authority (PFA) during November 2018, said PFA Director General Muhammad Usman on Tuesday. According to the statistics of medical screening facility report, the PFA took the blood samples of 3,846 food handlers/workers out of which only 3,362 workers could pass the test. As many as 1,786 people were screened in Lahore, 662 in Multan and 744 people each in Rawalpindi and Gujranwala.
The DG Food Authority said out of 484 ill people, 74 food handlers were found suffering from the Hepatitis C virus (HCV), 58 from Hepatitis B virus (HBV), 36 from Tuberculosis (TB) epidemic and 316 workers were suffering from typhoid illness.
He said there is no place for sick workers in the food industry because they cause viral diseases. He further said the PFA is providing a facility of six different tests, including HCV, HBV, HIV, TB, complete blood count (CBC) and typhoid in their laboratories established in Multan, Lahore, Gujranwala and Rawalpindi.