According to doctors at Bach Mai Hospital, among the 34 children admitted (24 children at the Pediatric Center and 10 children at the Poison Control Center), the injuries caused by poisoning included: 4 children with brain damage, 9 children at risk of seizures on electroencephalogram, and 13 children with signs of heart function damage through testing.
On the morning of January 26, 2025, 23 children were discharged with instructions for re-examination. The remaining 11 children with brain damage or abnormalities on the EEG are continuing treatment and being evaluated early for discharge. Doctors from the Pediatric Center and the Poison Control Center are coordinating with neurology specialists to closely monitor the EEG and treat the risk of seizures.
The brain-damaged children are expected to have another MRI scan on December 28 or 29. If their condition is stable, they can be discharged with a prescription and a follow-up appointment.
Previously, on the afternoon of January 22, the Pediatric Center and the Poison Control Center received 32 children, mainly students from grades 1 to 5 of a primary school in Tuyen Quang City, who were poisoned after mistakenly drinking fluoroacetate rat poison. On January 23, 2 more children were hospitalized, bringing the total number of cases to 34.
Upon admission, children are tested, examined for injuries, have an echocardiogram and are closely monitored, even when the child is conscious. Doctors closely examine to ensure that other causes of poisoning are not missed.
Dr. Nguyen Trung Nguyen - Director of the Poison Control Center said: With the characteristics of the red liquid tube, the symptoms of the children and the toxicology test results, it is clear that this is a case of poisoning with fluoroacetate/fluoroacetamide rat poison. In addition, we are very careful to monitor and evaluate whether there are other substances causing poisoning at the same time because the first child who discovered the bag containing the rat poison also had a blue tube.
Fluoroacetate/fluoroacetamide is a rat poison originating from China, usually in the form of: small plastic or glass tubes containing pink solution, colorless solution, brown solution, or pink rice grain packets, all without labels or with labels completely in Chinese. This is a rat poison that is extremely toxic to the nervous system, causing convulsions, coma, severe brain damage, heart damage, acute myocarditis, acute heart failure, arrhythmia, cardiogenic shock, with the typical manifestation of hypocalcemia. Severe poisoning can cause damage and failure of multiple organs.
