Regarding the case of many students of Binh Quoi Tay Primary School suspected of food poisoning, at noon on April 10, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Food Safety said that the unit is currently closely coordinating with the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health, Binh Quoi Ward People's Committee and specialized agencies to continue updating the health status of patients, statistics of cases and treatment.
At the same time, waiting for the test results of food raw material and specimens to accurately determine the cause of the incident, implementing the next steps of the food poisoning investigation process of the Ministry of Health to ensure scientific validity and compliance with legal regulations.
According to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Food Safety, after receiving information about suspected poisoning cases occurring at Binh Quoi Tay Primary School, the unit urgently established a working group according to the decision on April 9 to investigate and handle food poisoning related to the incident. At the same time, coordinate with Binh Quoi Ward People's Committee to investigate and handle the incident.
Initially, the facility providing semi-boarding meals for students of Binh Quoi Tay Elementary School has implemented the direction on temporarily suspending operations to serve the investigation of functional agencies.
Initial investigation results recorded that Binh Quoi Tay Primary School had signed a contract to provide ready-to-eat meals for boarding students with Huu Phuoc Trading and Service Production Transportation Co., Ltd. Branch.
On April 7, the food was processed at Huu Phuoc Production and Transportation Service Trading Company Branch (Xo Viet Nghe Tinh street, Thanh My Tay ward) and transported to Binh Quoi Tay Primary School for meal sharing.
Lunch menu includes dishes: rice, ginger braised chicken, cabbage soup with meat, stir-fried cucumber, plums. Lunch menu is flan.
A total of 740 students had lunch at 10:30 am and 11:00 am on April 7, and a snack at 2:30 pm on the same day.
In 2 days, September 8-9, the school's Health Department and Binh Quoi Ward Health Station received many students with symptoms of fever and abdominal pain. By 3 pm on April 9, according to a report from Binh Quoi Ward Health Station, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Food Safety recorded 107 students with abnormal symptoms coming for examination and treatment at hospitals.
Previously, on April 8, food samples stored at the school were sent by Binh Quoi Ward People's Committee to the Ho Chi Minh City Institute of Public Health for testing. At the same time, the Department of Food Safety also requested Gia Dinh People's Hospital to conduct sample testing to collect data for investigation work.
As Lao Dong Newspaper reported, as of the morning of April 10, there were 148 suspected food poisoning cases related to Binh Quoi Tay Primary School. Among them, 102 cases were monitored and treated as outpatients and 46 cases were treated as inpatients. The general condition of the patients is currently stable, no severe cases have been recorded.
Students with food poisoning are received and treated at 4 medical facilities in the area including: Gia Dinh People's Hospital, Children's Hospital 2, Binh Thanh General Hospital and Binh Quoi Ward Health Station.
According to a quick report from Gia Dinh People's Hospital, initial test results showed that out of 10 stool samples taken, 7 samples were positive for Salmonella bacteria.
Currently, specialized units, including the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit (OUCRU), continue to coordinate with the hospital to take more samples and type bacteria to accurately identify the pathogen and source of infection.
