'The ham sample tested negative for botulinum'

Ho Chi Minh City Two samples of pork roll from the patient's home and the production facility in Thu Duc City both tested negative for botulinum toxin.

The information was announced by Ms. Pham Khanh Phong Lan, Head of the Ho Chi Minh City Food Safety Management Board, on the evening of May 25. Ms. Lan said that the source of botulinum poisoning in the patients has not yet been determined. How a case of botulinum poisoning occurs is unpredictable because its spores always appear in the environment, causing illness not only through food but also through wounds.

According to experts, clusters of botulinum poisoning cases are not like mass food poisoning, but the cause belongs to each individual case. For example, the 6 cases in Thu Duc City had typical symptoms, tested positive for botulinum, but it is very difficult to conclude the exact cause. For example, the manufacturer may have processed the product carefully but the problem arose during storage, expired, or the product became slimy in anaerobic conditions, and fell on sandy soil.

"We cannot know, it is all just a guess," said Ms. Lan, adding that the patients had in common the fact that they ate pork roll, but there was not enough evidence to confirm that the cause was from pork roll.

A representative of the Thu Duc City Health Department said they are considering deciding on the level of fine for this ham production facility. The reason is that the facility has been operating for nearly two months without a license or signboard.

A doctor examines one of three children with botulinum poisoning. Photo: Provided by the hospital — A doctor examines one of three children with botulinum poisoning. Photo: *Provided by the hospital*

Since May 13, five people in Thu Duc City have been poisoned by botulinum due to eating street-sold pork rolls and one person is suspected of eating fish sauce. Of these, three children aged 10-14 were given antidotes and treated at Children's Hospital 2. Their condition is improving, and one is about to be discharged. The remaining three cases are only receiving supportive treatment because the country has run out of BAT antidotes. However, one patient died before receiving one of the six vials of antidotes sponsored by WHO (World Health Organization). Two patients at Cho Ray Hospital also did not have time to use the medicine because the "golden" time had passed.

Botulinum is a very strong neurotoxin, produced by anaerobic bacteria - bacteria that prefer closed environments such as canned food, or food environments that do not meet the standards to inhibit bacterial growth.

Symptoms of poisoning include abdominal pain, muscle pain, fatigue, blurred or double vision, dry mouth, difficulty speaking, difficulty swallowing, drooping eyelids, and general muscle weakness. Finally, the patient has difficulty breathing or cannot breathe due to paralysis of the respiratory muscles. These signs appear slowly or quickly depending on the amount of botulinum ingested.

Experts recommend that people should eat cooked food and drink boiled water, choose food with clear origin, quality and safety. Be careful with sealed food that has changed taste or color, canned food that is swollen or leaking.

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