Find the cause of food poisoning at the Mid-Autumn Festival party in Ho Chi Minh City

At the urgent meeting this morning of the Department of Health with medical experts, after listening to the report on the results of the investigation of cases with symptoms of food poisoning and updating the situation of admission and treatment of food poisoning cases at hospitals, medical experts agreed and determined that this was a case of mass food poisoning, with more complicated developments and more difficult to recognize than the previous cases of mass food poisoning that often occurred at schools.

As for the food that caused the poisoning, medical experts say that it is most likely from cream puffs (excluding grilled sausages, drinks are also used in the Mid-Autumn Festival). As for the cause of poisoning after eating cream puffs, it is highly likely that the cakes were contaminated with bacteria because all cases of poisoning have similar symptoms such as fever, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, increased white blood cells, and increased CRP (blood tests help identify bacterial infections in the body).

In addition, the health sector has recorded a case of poisoning and similar symptoms after not attending the Mid-Autumn Festival party organized by the Palm Heights Apartment Management Board after eating cream puffs of the same brand and address. From there, health experts concluded that the cream puffs were not only contaminated at the place where the Mid-Autumn Festival party was held, but had been contaminated before. Regarding the cause of the infection, experts affirmed that they need to wait for the results of bacterial isolation, which are currently being processed by the Ho Chi Minh City Institute of Public Health.

Doctor Bach Van Cam, a professional consultant at Children's Hospital 1, said that there are two common groups of agents that cause food poisoning. Specifically, if the symptoms of poisoning appear early, before 6 hours (after eating), it is usually due to enterotoxin of staphylococcus bacteria; if the symptoms appear late, it is usually due to the body being infected by the agent salmonella spp.

According to statistics, there are currently 17 children with food poisoning being treated at Children's Hospital 1, Children's Hospital 2, Le Van Thinh Hospital, and Gia Dinh People's Hospital with stable health.