The story: A woman had to undergo surgery to remove pus from her brain due to an infection caused by GBS bacteria. She had apparently consumed 鱼生 or raw fish, believed to have been bought from the hawker centre:

She was admitted to hospital on July 5 with the infection, but was subsequently discharged on July 15.

However, the next day, she could barely move her right side, shower or speak properly and was plagued by headaches for the next four days.

On July 19, she got an MRI and doctors found that the infection on the right of her brain had spread to the left and pus had developed.

The swelling was what caused the immobility to her right side.

She then decided to go for a five-hour surgery to have two 8cm incisions to drain out the pus.

She's on the road to recovery and has been discharged.

Latest update about GBS bacteria:

In an update on the investigation into Group B Streptococcus (GBS) bacteria infection cases in Singapore, the Ministry of Health (MOH) together with Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) and the National Environment Agency (NEA) said on July 24 that they have found a link between the consumption of raw fish and bacteria infections in some cases it investigated.

Since the release of this finding, food stall holders have been asked to temporarily stop selling raw fish dishes using two types of fish which have been found with traces of GBS bacteria.

The two types of fish are: Song fish, also known as Asian Bighead Carp; and Toman fish, also known as Snakehead fish.

The joint statement from the authorities came in the wake of a surge in the number of GBS infections.

The authorities were initially investigating a message that spread online claiming that there was a bacteria outbreak from eating contaminated raw fish.

So far, from Jan. 1 to June 30 this year, MOH received reports of 238 cases of GBS infections from public hospitals. This is a much higher figure compared with an average of 150 cases per year in the past four years.

More than half the cases were over the age of 55, similar to previous years.

MOH said GBS may occasionally cause infections of the skin, joints, heart and brain, but it is a common bacterium found in the human gut and urinary tract of about 15 per cent to 30 per cent of adults without causing disease normally.

The bacteria can also be found in fish, but this does not pose an issue if the fish is well cooked before consumption.

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