Poisoning incident at Le Quy Don High School: Testing for toxins in boarding food

Regarding the suspected food poisoning incident at Le Quy Don High School, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City that caused 5 students to be hospitalized, on the morning of October 11, information from the city's Department of Health said that the students' health has stabilized.

Initial investigation determined that the students had lunch at school, the specific cause is being investigated and clarified.

Previously, on October 10, at Le Quy Don High School, 6 students were recorded to have symptoms of stomachache and vomiting after a meal at school.

Of the 6 students showing symptoms, 5 were transferred to Saigon General Hospital for monitoring and treatment, while the remaining student remained in the school's medical room.

By 5:00 p.m. the same day, the students' health was stable, they were alert and were advised to continue monitoring at the hospital for 24 hours.

Immediately after receiving the information, the City Center for Disease Control (HCDC) urgently coordinated with District 3 Medical Center to conduct epidemiological investigation, assess risks and intervene according to the food poisoning case handling procedure.

According to initial investigation, the students all had lunch at school at around 11:30 a.m. with rice noodles stir-fried with grilled meat/grilled spring rolls and chive soup.

There were 1,393 meals provided on October 10, including 1,348 fried rice noodles, 26 vegetarian meals and 19 porridge meals. However, at around 3 p.m., 6 children had stomach aches, and 2 cases had additional symptoms of vomiting.

Students from 4 different classes of grades 11, 12 and 5/6 had breakfast at home; no similar symptoms were recorded in those who had the same meal at home.

It is known that the meals at Le Quy Don High School are provided by a company in District 1. The food is pre-processed and transported to the school by truck at around 10am, then distributed in trays and served in the school's dining room. The eating utensils are collected and brought back to the facility for processing.

According to the school's report, from October 8-10, Le Quy Don High School recorded an average of 10 students absent from school each day, including 4 cases absent due to illness, and no cases absent due to digestive symptoms.