The Food & Environmental Hygiene Department has closed a fresh provision shop in Kowloon City after Vibrio cholerae was found in a water sample from its fish tank.

The shop will remain closed until disinfection is completed to the satisfaction of the department.

The Lok Shan Road shop was one of the seafood suppliers of a restaurant in Yat Ming Road, Fanling where cholera was found on July 26. Test results from five other seafood suppliers of the restaurant were negative.

The closure order imposed earlier on the restaurant has been lifted as it has taken remedial measures.

Vibrio cholerae can be killed by thorough cooking. To prevent cholera, people should:

* soak shellfish in clean water after washing and scrubbing the shells;

* clean seafood, remove internal organs and cook thoroughly before consumption;

* raw and cooked food must be handled with separate utensils to avoid cross-contamination; and,

* raw and cooked food should be stored separately, with cooked food placed on a refrigerator's upper shelves.

Also be vigilant on personal and food hygiene, and extra cautious in consuming seafood and ready-to-eat food, particularly during summer.

The department has issued guidelines for the trade, advising against using seawater drawn from the seafront within the harbour or typhoon shelters to keep seafood.