Four-year-old among 46 hospitalised after eating bread from bakery in Vietnam

QUANG TRI, Vietnam – Dozens of people have been hospitalised with suspected food poisoning in Huong Hoa district in Vietnam’s Quang Tri province, after eating bread purchased from a bakery in Tan Son Hamlet in Tan Lap Commune.

Mr Nguyen Viet Duc, director of Huong Hoa Regional General Hospital, said 46 patients had been admitted between about 6.30am on April 29 and the morning of May 1.

They presented symptoms such as a high fever, repeated loose stools, vomiting, intermittent abdominal cramps, fatigue and dehydration.

Most of the patients were aged between 11 and 15, with the youngest just over four years old and the oldest aged 46.

The majority of patients are students at the Huong Loc Ethnic Boarding Primary and Lower Secondary School.

The hospital said patients have received intravenous fluids, oral rehydration, antibiotics and intensive treatment. All patients are currently stable, with no severe cases reported, though most of them continue to experience fever, abdominal cramps, loose stools and fatigue.

Ms Ho Thuy Vinh, chairwoman of the Tan Lap Commune People’s Committee, said the local authorities convened an emergency meeting after receiving the information.

Commune leaders visited the patients in hospital, and directives were issued instructing relevant agencies to investigate the cases and share their findings with the higher authorities.

A health inspection team collected samples at suspected sites, identified and zoned off the affected area, and monitored public sentiment in the locality.

The authorities also coordinated with the police and health agencies to maintain public order, and worked with the schools concerned to assess the situation and review suspected cases among at-risk students. VIETNAM NEWS/ASIA NEWS NETWORK