Many students hospitalized after school meals

TPO - On October 11, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health said it is urgently conducting an epidemiological investigation to clarify the cause of many students at Le Quy Don High School, District 3, showing signs of food poisoning and having to be hospitalized after having a meal at school.

Accordingly, on October 10, 6 cases of students with symptoms of stomachache were recorded, of which 2 cases showed signs of vomiting. Previously, the above students had lunch at school at around 11:30 with stir-fried rice noodles with grilled meat, grilled spring rolls and chive soup.

The total number of meals provided on October 10 was 1,393, including 1,348 fried rice noodles, 26 vegetarian meals and 19 porridge meals. Immediately after receiving the information, the City Center for Disease Control (HCDC) urgently coordinated with District 3 Medical Center to investigate the epidemic, assess the risk and intervene according to the process of handling food poisoning cases.

Of the 6 students showing symptoms of poisoning, 5 were transferred to Saigon General Hospital for monitoring and treatment, while the remaining student remained in the school's medical room. By 5 p.m. the same day, the health status of the students had stabilized and they were conscious, and they were monitored at the hospital for 24 hours.

Students showing signs of food poisoning were transferred to Saigon General Hospital for treatment (photo: Contributor)

According to the initial investigation of the Department of Health, all 6/6 patients had symptoms of abdominal pain. Of these, 2 cases had additional symptoms of vomiting. These symptoms appeared about 2 hours 30 minutes to 3 hours after eating. The students were from 4 different classes: 11A8 (3 cases), 11A1 (1 case), 11A4 (1 case) and 12A15 (1 case). The students did not eat another meal outside of school and 5/6 patients had breakfast at home with their families, no similar symptoms were recorded in those who ate the same meal.

The meals at Le Quy Don School are provided by a company in District 1. The food is prepared and transported to the school by truck at around 10am, then distributed in trays and served in the school cafeteria. The eating utensils are collected and brought back to the facility for processing.

According to the school report, from October 8-10, the school recorded an average of 10 students absent each day, of which about 4 were absent due to illness. There were no cases of absence due to digestive symptoms.

Currently, the school is coordinating with the Department of Health and the Department of Food Safety to investigate the cause and assess the risk. Food samples and patient samples have been sent for testing for toxins to promptly prevent the risk of similar poisoning cases.

Van Son

Source: https://tienphong.vn/nhieu-hoc-sinh-nhap-vien-sau-bua-an-tai-truong-post1681330.tpo