With only a few days left until the 1st day of Lunar New Year 2026, during the family's year-end meal, Nguyen Thanh Nhan (the patient's name has been changed, 7 years old) was admitted to the hospital in a state of severe abdominal pain, accompanied by loose stools, so his family took him to the emergency room.
According to the family's sharing, these days the family often has many different foods from salty to confectionery, fruits, so they don't know what the baby has eaten before.
At Children's Hospital 2 in Ho Chi Minh City, the child was compensated with electrolytes, intravenous fluids and treated according to the food poisoning treatment procedure.
According to BS.CK2 Pham Hoang Minh Khoi, Department of Internal Medicine 1, Children's Hospital 2 HCMC, recently, many medical facilities have recorded an increase in cases of food poisoning in children, with levels ranging from mild such as vomiting, diarrhea to severe such as dehydration, electrolyte disorders, even anaphylactic shock requiring hospitalization. At Children's Hospital 2, many cases are hospitalized in a state of exhaustion due to improper initial treatment.
Food poisoning occurs when children eat food contaminated with bacteria, viruses, parasites or toxins. Children under 5 years old are particularly prone to rapid dehydration, and the disease can progress severely if delayed.
The disease is usually divided into two groups: rapid onset after a few hours with symptoms mainly vomiting (usually due to toxins in food); or late onset, accompanied by fever, abdominal pain, prolonged diarrhea – often related to intestinal infections.
Parents need to pay attention to signs such as frequent vomiting, continuous diarrhea, severe abdominal pain, fever, lethargy. It is especially dangerous when children develop urticaria, swollen lips, wheezing, shortness of breath, and anaphylactic signs that require immediate emergency care.
When suspected of poisoning, immediately stop the suspected food, let the child lie on their side if vomiting, replenish water with oresol mixed according to instructions, feed liquid, easily digestible food and quickly take the child to a medical facility. Absolutely do not arbitrarily use antibiotics, diarrhea medicine or apply folk remedies.
Experts recommend that prevention is still the most important: eat cooked food and drink boiled water, wash hands thoroughly, preserve food properly and do not use expired food. Early identification and proper treatment will help children avoid unfortunate complications.
