3 Vietnamese children suspected of botulinum poisoning after eating fermented fish

Earlier, six family members ate ‘ca u chua,' a local delicacy made by fermenting fish with rice, salt, and spices last Saturday morning.

By 6:00 pm the same day, three children, identified as H.N.T., 15, H.Q.N., 7, and H.Q.B., 11, developed symptoms including abdominal pain, vomiting, and fatigue.

The children were first treated at Phuoc Son Regional Medical Center before being transferred to the Northern Quang Nam Mountain Regional General Hospital on Sunday.

The most severe case, 15-year-old H.N.T., was admitted in a coma with breathing difficulties, dilated pupils, a weak pulse, and loss of bladder control.

Doctors placed him on a ventilator, initiated intensive care, and performed plasma exchange with albumin replacement after a consultation with Cho Ray Hospital specialists in Ho Chi Minh City.

He was diagnosed with suspected botulinum food poisoning complicated by grade-3 respiratory failure.

The two younger boys also showed symptoms such as drooping eyelids, muscle weakness, and breathing difficulties.

One required mechanical ventilation, while the other received assisted breathing and close monitoring. 

Both were later transferred to Da Nang Hospital for Women and Children for further treatment.

‘Ca u chua’ is a long-standing dish among communities in Quang Nam’s highlands, made by fermenting freshwater fish such as tilapia or carp.

However, the dish has been linked to several botulinum poisoning cases in recent years.

In 2023, similar incidents in Phuoc Son, part of former Quang Nam Province and now administered by Da Nang, led to multiple hospitalizations and one death.