Hospitalization due to “herd effect”?
On the afternoon of October 26, speaking with Lao Dong, Dr. Le Cong Huyt - Head of the Pediatrics Department, Quang Nam Northern Mountainous Region General Hospital said that on the afternoon of October 24, the hospital received 15 pediatric patients with suspected food poisoning symptoms such as: abdominal pain, vomiting and loose stools.
“The children were treated for acute gastroenteritis and monitored for the risk of poisoning. As of this morning (October 26), all patients have been discharged and are in stable health,” informed Dr. Le Cong Huyt.
According to the report of Dai Loc District Medical Center, at 10:30 a.m. on October 24, 298 students and 13 teachers and caterers of Nguyen Ngoc Binh School had lunch at the boarding cafeteria with Quang noodles and broth, provided by an outside food company.
After the students woke up, at 1:10 p.m. the same day, the school gave the boarding students a snack of yogurt made at home by a local business.
About half an hour later, 15 students had symptoms of stomachache and nausea (1 student vomited) and were taken to Dai Hiep Commune Health Station, then admitted to the Northern Mountainous Region General Hospital of Quang Nam.
According to the conclusion of Dai Loc District Medical Center, 15 students of Nguyen Ngoc Binh Primary School were hospitalized due to "crowd effect", not food poisoning.
Sample but no testing
Notably, immediately after the incident occurred, Dai Loc District Medical Center took food samples, including yogurt, but did not send them for testing to determine the cause.
According to Mr. Le Huu Thanh - Director of Dai Loc District Medical Center, on the afternoon of October 24, after seeing a student with a stomachache and vomiting, the cause of which is unknown, many other students had a chain reaction. To ensure safety, the school took the students to the hospital.
“After monitoring for 24 hours since the onset of symptoms, the children's health has stabilized, with no further progression of the disease, so sending samples for testing is not necessary.
"For one student, vomiting was due to a strong impact on the abdomen while playing by a male classmate" - Mr. Le Huu Thanh explained.
According to regulations, there must be 2 or more cases to be considered a poisoning case. At that time, the responsibility of the medical facility is to send samples for testing to determine the cause.
But in this case, the health agency found one case of illness, so they sealed the food sample for further monitoring. After monitoring, there were no signs of food poisoning so the sample was not sent, the leader of Dai Loc District Health Center added.
According to a medical expert working in Quang Nam, to determine whether it is due to poisoning or not, a test must be done. Such a conclusion is somewhat subjective.
Regarding the case of 15 students hospitalized with suspected poisoning, Dai Loc Medical Center, Quang Nam said that the 3 units supplying Quang noodles, broth and yogurt all have certificates of food safety and hygiene, and commitments to food safety and hygiene issued by the competent authorities.
