79 hospitalized in Ho Chi Minh City over suspected food poisoning

Dang Quoc Quan, director of Hoc Mon Regional General Hospital, said the 60 affected workers from Viva Vina Chi Company in Dong Thanh Commune were admitted in the afternoon. 

They were believed to have fallen ill after eating lunch at the factory earlier in the day.

Of the 60 patients, 24 remain hospitalized for inpatient treatment, while 36 were allowed to return home for continued monitoring. All were in stable condition.

Hospital officials said the lunch served to the workers included fried amberjack fish with chilli garlic fish sauce, boiled white cabbage, and sour soup prepared with bean sprouts and okra.

Medical staff collected vomit samples along with gastric fluid and stool specimens for laboratory testing to identify the source of the suspected poisoning.

Earlier the same day, Thu Duc Regional General Hospital received 19 high school students from Thu Duc Ward with suspected food-related poisoning.

Two of the students developed grade-two anaphylactic shock and were hospitalized for close monitoring. They showed allergic reactions including rashes, swelling, and redness.

All cases were reported to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health and the city's Center for Disease Control for investigation.

On November 10, 50 workers developed food poisoning symptoms after lunch at a company on National Highway 1A in Dong Hung Thuan Ward.

That incident followed another major outbreak in the first week of the month, when 316 people were hospitalized after eating 'banh mi' from two outlets of the 'Banh Mi Coc Co B.' brand, where salmonella was later identified as the cause.