As of early this morning, Vung Tau General Hospital admitted 93 patients. Doctors ordered 84 individuals to be hospitalized for inpatient treatment, while 9 cases with mild symptoms were prescribed medication and sent home for self-monitoring. Concurrently, Khanh Hoi General Hospital admitted one emergency case with an epidemiological link to the same bread stall. Currently, the health of all 94 patients is improving, with reduced diarrhea and fever. The healthcare system has not recorded any critical cases.

Immediately after the incident, authorities instructed the shop owner to close the premises for sample collection and investigation into the cause. Concurrently, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health urgently directed medical facilities to review and mobilize staff to admit, triage, and treat affected individuals according to established protocols. The managing agency also required hospitals to continuously update information on any deteriorating cases, microbiological culture results, and complications to flexibly coordinate rescue efforts.

This bread stall is familiar to local residents; it previously operated at the intersection of Do Chieu and Ly Thuong Kiet streets. Earlier this year, the owner moved the stall to its current location on Do Chieu street, maintaining operating hours from 16h30 to 21h daily. The vendor prepares accompanying ingredients such as pate, meat, cold cuts, and sauces at home before bringing them to the stall to serve customers.

The bread shop where many people are suspected to have fallen ill after eating. Photo: Truong Ha

In recent days, several mass food poisoning incidents linked to bread consumption have occurred in southern provinces. On 1-2/3, 22 people in Ho Chi Minh City were suspected of food poisoning after eating roasted pork bread. Last week, over 70 people were hospitalized with poisoning symptoms after eating bread from the Hong Ngoc 12 establishment in Dong Thap.

Pham Khanh Phong Lan, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Food Safety, noted that bread inherently poses more risks than vermicelli or pho because vendors do not use boiling water to blanch or scald ingredients. The combination of many types of fresh fillings and the hot weather is a key reason this dish is prone to bacterial cross-contamination, leading to recent poisoning incidents.

Le Phuong