On the evening of January 22, the Pediatric Center and the Poison Control Center of Bach Mai Hospital continuously received students from Tuyen Quang City.
According to the parents, the children mistakenly drank the liquid suspected to be rat poison because they thought it was candy syrup. A second grader said he tried drinking it because it smelled like candy syrup, but then felt bitter and spit it out. Many other children suffered stomach aches and showed signs of poisoning shortly after returning home.
According to initial investigation, on the morning of January 21, a student picked up a bag containing red and blue plastic tubes in the tea hill area near the school. The students shared the drinks, mainly in the afternoon of the same day. Test results at the National Institute of Forensic Medicine determined that the chemical in the urine of the children was fluoroacetate - a toxic substance found in rat poison.
Currently, 32 children are being treated at the Pediatric Center and the Poison Control Center of Bach Mai Hospital, and 5 others are being cared for at the National Children's Hospital. Of these, 7 children who drank a significant amount (from 1/3 to 1 tube) showed severe symptoms such as headache, vomiting, dizziness, and even brain and heart damage. One case had a seizure right at the hospital.
Dr. Nguyen Thanh Nam - Director of the Pediatric Center, said: "We have mobilized all human resources, established a consultation council, evaluated and treated each child according to the protocol. Doctors also continuously reviewed to not miss the cause of poisoning."
According to Dr. Nguyen Trung Nguyen - Director of the Poison Control Center: "Fluoroacetate is a highly toxic chemical, once banned in Vietnam but now appears through street vendors or online sales. This incident reminds us to strengthen supervision of school safety and the surrounding environment."
Immediately upon receiving 32 children suspected of rat poison poisoning from Tuyen Quang, Associate Professor, Dr. Dao Xuan Co - Director of Bach Mai Hospital urgently directed: "Focus all resources, actively provide emergency care and urgently hold a hospital-wide consultation to come up with the best treatment plan for the children".
The Poison Control Center and the Pediatric Center have instructed the school to coordinate with neighboring schools to check for any remaining rat poison tubes or any other chemicals on campus. At the same time, it is necessary to verify that students have ingested these liquids or other suspected chemicals and recommend immediate hospitalization locally. The school is also recommended to notify the investigating agency and the authorities to clarify the source, ensuring that no toxic substances or poisoning cases are missed.
