Students suffering suspected food poisoning are under treatment at Khánh Hoà Province's General Hospital in the central coastal province of Khánh Hoà. VNA/VNS Photo

QUẢNG TRỊ — Twenty-three students in a primary school in the central province of Quảng Trị showed symptoms of possible food poisoning after drinking water from a shared water container for students at the school, according to the provincial Sub-department of Food Safety and Hygiene.

All the students experienced symptoms such as abdominal pain, vomiting, headache and difficulty breathing after drinking the water and were taken to medical facilities for examination.

Initially, the authorities suspected that the cause of this situation was a student putting a toy into the shared drinking water container.

Hoàng Đình Ấn, head of the provincial Sub-department, stated that the sub-department has sent water samples to the Pasteur Institute in Nha Trang for testing to determine the cause of this mass poisoning incident.

Previously, around 9.10am on Sunday, 23 fourth-grade students in Cam Lộ District were taken to the district’s health centre after having abdominal pain, nausea, headache and difficulty breathing.

Among the 23 hospitalised for treatment, 19 were discharged yesterday morning, while four remained fatigued and continued to be monitored.

Currently, all the students' health conditions are stable and normal.

According to the Cam Lộ District People's Committee, based on initial information, suspicion arose that a student put a toy into the drinking water container.

Students showed symptoms of poisoning 10 minutes later after drinking water.

The district’s People's Committee is awaiting results to confirm the ultimate cause, he said.

Food safety in Khánh Hoà

The People’s Committee of Khánh Hoà Province has announced the local health sector will coordinate with the police, relevant agencies and local authorities to simultaneously inspect eateries and food establishments operating in the area from Monday (April 8).

Đinh Văn Thiệu, vice chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, said many cases of food poisoning occurred in Nha Trang City, adversely affecting people’s health as well as impacting the local socio-economic situation.

To carry out the food safety crackdown, the committee will establish inter-agency inspection teams at provincial, district and commune levels.

The inspection will cover all food production and processing businesses, especially those selling poultry meat. Food processing facilities, canteens in industrial zones, schools, and high-risk establishments will be inspected rigorously.

Establishments failing to ensure food safety conditions will be dealt strict measures or forced to suspend operation.

Establishments in violation will be publicly disclosed on mass media to promptly alert producers, businesses and the community.

Earlier this month, a primary school student died and 27 others from two schools in Khánh Hoà Province were hospitalised in a suspected food poisoning incident after a meal.

All fifth-grade students experienced fatigue and fainting after consuming chicken rice, sushi and fast food purchased by their families from various local stores in front of the schools.

The authorities have conducted a post-mortem examination with the consent of the family to determine the cause of the student's death. Currently, there are still 24 students undergoing treatment in the hospital.

Last month, approximately 369 people in Nha Trang City suffered from food poisoning after consuming chicken rice from a local eatery. The eatery failed to implement the three-step food safety inspection regime and properly retain food samples as required by regulations, causing difficulties for the authorities in identifying the cause of the poisoning. — VNS