Ho Chi Minh City saw two separate incidents on 27/11, leading to the hospitalization of 79 individuals for suspected food poisoning or allergic reactions. Sixty workers from Viva Vina Co., Ltd. were admitted to Hoc Mon Regional General Hospital, while 19 students from a high school were taken to Thu Duc Regional General Hospital on the same day.

Physician level 2 Dang Quoc Quan, director of Hoc Mon Regional General Hospital, confirmed the 60 patients were workers from Viva Vina Co., Ltd. (branch one, Dong Thanh commune). They experienced symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, itching, dizziness, and skin rashes after a lunch consisting of fried amberjack, boiled cabbage, and sour soup with bean sprouts and okra. Twenty-four workers required inpatient treatment, while the rest were stable and returned home for monitoring.

Patients suspected of food poisoning receiving emergency care at Hoc Mon Regional General Hospital. Photo: Provided by doctor

Concurrently, Thu Duc Regional General Hospital admitted 19 students from a high school in Thu Duc ward. The students displayed allergic reactions after eating, including red rashes and swelling. Two students experienced grade 2 anaphylaxis, requiring hospitalization for monitoring. The dietary history of these students is currently unknown.

Both Hoc Mon and Thu Duc Regional General Hospitals reported the incidents to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health and the Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control. Authorities are investigating the exact causes of these incidents, and it remains unclear if the two cases are related.

These incidents follow a series of food poisoning cases reported across Ho Chi Minh City in November. On 10/11, approximately 50 workers from a company in Dong Hung Thuan ward were hospitalized with similar symptoms after a meal, with the cause currently under investigation. Earlier in the month, 316 people sought medical attention after consuming "banh mi coc Co Bich" in Ho Chi Minh City. The Ho Chi Minh City Food Safety Department later confirmed on 26/11 that Salmonella bacteria in the banh mi caused the poisoning.

Le Phuong