.jpg "Hai Duong strives to successfully treat 90% of tuberculosis cases this year")
.jpg "Real estate market in the south of Hai Duong city is bustling")
.jpg "Extremely dangerous forest fire risk in Kinh Mon, Chi Linh")
-ac017d3d3ce25d3405471795d6bb26f0.jpg "Gia Loc needs over 10 billion VND to invest in renovating and expanding landfills.")
Submit a comment
How to control street food in the current hot season and what to do to prevent further food poisoning incidents are issues of concern to everyone.
The bread poisoning incident in Dong Nai province is a warning to food establishments not to ignore consumers' health because poisoning can happen anytime, anywhere, if regulations on food preservation and processing are not followed.
In recent days, people need to pay special attention to eating out and storing food. Prolonged hot weather is a favorable condition for bacteria to grow exponentially, creating toxins in food that can easily cause poisoning.
In just 8 months, from September 2023 to May 2024, there were three major poisoning incidents and a series of minor poisoning incidents nationwide, causing more than 1,000 people to be hospitalized.
In 2023 alone, there were 28 deaths due to food poisoning and an increasing trend compared to 2022.
Major poisoning cases with a large number of patients have occurred consecutively recently: food poisoning after eating bread at Phuong 2 bread business in Quang Nam province (313 people); poisoning after eating Tram Anh chicken rice in Khanh Hoa province (368 people); most recently, more than 500 people were poisoned at Co Bang bread shop (Dong Nai province).
Most of the food or sample testing results (bread, char siu pork, chicken rice, grilled chicken...) of the above poisoning cases all showed the presence of Salmonella spp. In addition, there are a number of other types of bacteria such as E.coli, Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus...
Ho Chi Minh City Department of Food Safety said that Salmonella is an intestinal bacteria, found in human feces, infected animals and the environment.
The incubation period for Salmonella infection is from 6 to 72 hours after eating, usually from 18 to 36 hours, symptoms will appear such as: abdominal cramps, diarrhea, chills, fever, a few also have nausea and vomiting.
These symptoms usually last from a few days to a week. Diarrhea can last up to 10 days. Sometimes it takes months for bowel habits and stools to return to normal. In rare cases, serious complications can occur if the Salmonella infection spreads through the intestines, which can be fatal.
Some foods that are susceptible to Salmonella bacteria include: poultry and meat products; eggs and egg products; milk and dairy products; other foods; fruits and vegetables, chocolate, cereals, peanut butter, cakes, spices...
Factors contributing to food poisoning include: storing food at room temperature for too long (more than 2 hours); reheating temperature does not meet requirements, food storage causes cross-contamination, contaminated food, touching pre-prepared food...
In addition, some other types of bacteria often cause poisoning in the summer such as: Escherichia coli (E.coli) causing nausea and vomiting, diarrhea with water or blood; Campylobacter bacteria is a common agent causing gastritis and enteritis...
Regarding the poisoning case after eating Dong Nai bread, on May 6, the leader of Long Khanh City People's Committee (Dong Nai) said that the case of more than 500 people hospitalized after eating bread has been transferred to the police agency to investigate signs of crime.
"The Long Khanh City People's Committee has assigned a specialized agency to determine the administrative violation of the facility. However, according to regulations, this case has signs of crime so it must be transferred to the investigation agency. After receiving the investigation results from the police agency, if criminal responsibility is not prosecuted, the Long Khanh City People's Committee will continue with the steps to handle the administrative violation," said the leader of the Long Khanh City People's Committee.
According to the Dong Nai Department of Health, as of the afternoon of May 5, a total of 545 people were hospitalized after eating bread. Of these, 338 people were monitored and treated at hospitals, and 207 people were discharged.
The child with a very serious prognosis being treated at Dong Nai Children's Hospital is currently progressing well, has stopped dialysis, symptoms have decreased, and can open his eyes on his own. In addition, another case has been transferred to Children's Hospital 1 in Ho Chi Minh City for treatment.
According to the Department of Food Safety and Hygiene of Dong Nai province, during food safety and hygiene inspection activities, interdisciplinary working groups still inspect a number of street food vendors with fixed addresses.
However, the number of street food vendors in the area is too large, with many carts and street vendors not fixed, making it difficult to manage.
Particularly in Long Khanh City, after the mass poisoning incident occurred, authorities quickly took action and increased food safety control at food and beverage establishments.
A leader of the Long Khanh City People's Committee said that the city has directed agencies, units, and People's Committees of wards and communes to strengthen the review and inspection of food service businesses, especially small establishments and street vendors, to promptly detect and strictly handle violations of food safety.
In particular, cases that have not been granted a certificate of food safety qualified facilities will have their business operations resolutely suspended.
Doctor Truong Thi Minh Hien - Department of Nutrition, Thu Duc Regional General Hospital - said that prolonged hot weather is a favorable environment for bacteria to grow and develop, leading to food losing nutrients, losing hygiene and safety, and even causing food poisoning.
It is worth mentioning that temperatures of 37 - 40 degrees Celsius are ideal conditions for bacteria to grow exponentially, three times faster than normal weather. For foods that are highly contaminated with bacteria, even if the food is cooked or boiled, the toxins will still remain, and consumers are still at risk of poisoning.
To ensure food safety, consumers should limit eating street food. If you do eat, you should choose a reputable establishment, with vendors wearing masks and gloves, and glass cabinets and lids to keep out insects...
