On the afternoon of October 11, the Food Safety Department (Ministry of Health) said that it had received information about a suspected food poisoning incident at Le Quy Don High School (District 3, Ho Chi Minh City), in which 5 students showed signs of stomachache and vomiting after eating lunch at the school cafeteria and were taken to the hospital.

Faced with the above situation, the Food Safety Department requested the Ho Chi Minh City Food Safety Department to urgently suspend the operation of school canteens where food poisoning is suspected to have occurred.

At the same time, organize investigations to clearly identify the source of raw materials and food for processing facilities suspected of causing poisoning, and at the same time take food and disease samples for testing to find the cause; detect and strictly handle violations of food safety regulations (if any) and publicize the results to promptly warn the community.

The Food Safety Department also requested the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Food Safety to strengthen propaganda and guidance for collective kitchens and food service establishments to ensure hygiene and food safety conditions; strictly implement the management of food ingredients' origin, three-step food inspection, food sample storage and hygiene in processing stages.

Previously, on October 10, Le Quy Don High School recorded 6 cases of students with symptoms of stomachache, of which 2 cases showed signs of vomiting after meals at school.

The City Center for Disease Control has coordinated with District 3 Medical Center to conduct epidemiological investigations, assess risks and intervene according to procedures for handling food poisoning cases.

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

According to records, the students all had lunch at school at around 11:30 a.m. with stir-fried rice noodles with grilled meat/grilled spring rolls and chive soup. The total number of meals provided on October 10 was nearly 1,400, including 1,348 stir-fried rice noodles, 26 vegetarian meals and 19 porridge meals.

Currently, the school is coordinating with health agencies to investigate the cause and assess the risks to ensure the safety of students and teachers.

According to Laborer

5 high school students in Ho Chi Minh City hospitalized, suspected of poisoning. Several students of Le Quy Don High School (District 3, Ho Chi Minh City) were hospitalized in a state of vomiting a lot of food they ate at noon, with stomach pain. Samples have been sent for testing to find the cause.