Regarding the results of inspection and handling of the suspected food poisoning incident at Quynh Nga chicken rice restaurant (Loc Hai group, Cam Ranh ward), on the afternoon of July 9, leaders of Khanh Hoa Department of Health said that they had just sent a report to the Provincial People's Committee.
Accordingly, on the morning of July 4, the Sub-Department of Food Safety and Hygiene received information from the Cam Ranh Ward Health Station about many cases of hospitalization with symptoms of abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and mild fever after eating chicken rice at Quynh Nga restaurant.
Using initial information, 8 cases said they had eaten chicken rice including rice, chicken, eggs, sauce, vegetables and sour food at the restaurant at lunch or afternoon on July 2. At about 3 am on July 3, the first person to show symptoms of digestive disorders was taken to Cam Ranh Regional General Hospital for emergency treatment.
By 6:30 PM on the same day, the hospital received 7 more cases. By 5:00 PM on July 4, the number of hospitalizations increased to 50 cases, including 21 children under 15 years old and 29 people over 15 years old.
All of them showed symptoms of abdominal pain, frequent diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and mild fever, and confessed to having eaten chicken rice at the restaurant before.
On July 5, many people continued to come to Cam Ranh Regional General Hospital for health check-ups after learning about the incident, although there were no symptoms. By 5 pm on the same day, the total number of people coming to the hospital was 68 cases, mostly local people.
According to the Department of Health, most of the patients admitted to the hospital were in a conscious state, with relatively stable health. No severe cases were recorded during treatment. By 8:00 PM on July 6, all 68 cases had stabilized their health and were discharged from the hospital.
The Department of Health established an inspection team to coordinate with Cam Ranh Ward People's Committee to verify the incident. Through inspection, Cam Ranh Ward People's Committee requested Quynh Nga chicken rice restaurant to temporarily suspend business operations from the afternoon of July 3.
The inspection team also made a record of administrative violations against Quynh Nga chicken rice restaurant with a fine of 10 million VND for violating food safety regulations, including: processing area with flies; not implementing the three-step inspection regime; sewer system, drainage ditches in the kitchen area are stagnant, not covered tightly.
In addition to penalties, functional agencies request facility owners to coordinate in investigating and overcoming shortcomings in food safety conditions, paying medical examination and treatment costs for affected cases, visiting patients and only be allowed to resume operations when fully meeting food safety regulations.
The Department of Health said that the cause of the incident has not yet been determined. At the time the inspection team worked, the business establishment had destroyed food samples stored after 24 hours as prescribed, so there were no samples left for testing to determine the cause of suspected food poisoning.
On her personal page, the owner of Quynh Nga chicken rice restaurant sent apologies to the affected customers; herself, her son also ate the restaurant's rice portion and was affected in health.
The restaurant owner affirmed that he always imports ingredients with clear origins and full papers. At the same time, he announced the closure of the restaurant after the incident, committed not to evade responsibility, directly went to the hospital to visit many patients and will continue to support those who have not been able to meet.
