The shopfront has been closed while authorities investigate the cause of the poisoning. — Photo nld.com.vn

HCM CITY — Authorities have identified the bacterium Salmonella as the likely cause of a food poisoning outbreak that sickened more than 80 people after they ate bánh mì (Vietnamese sandwiches) from a shop in Hạnh Thông Ward earlier this week.

The city’s Department of Health said on Saturday that tests conducted at Gia Định People’s Hospital detected Salmonella in one of the patients’ blood samples, a bacterium commonly associated with contaminated food and poor hygiene during preparation.

At least four hospitals have treated patients linked to the same shop in Hạnh Thông. Military Hospital 175 reported 47 cases, Gia Định Hospital 19, Tâm Anh General Hospital 16, and Bình Dân Hospital one, according to health officials.

Most patients are now in stable conditions, and more than half have already been discharged.

City health authorities said clinical data from nearly all patients were consistent with bacterial food poisoning caused by Salmonella.

Hospitals have been instructed to follow standard treatment protocols, including rehydration therapy, electrolyte replacement, and laboratory monitoring, and to prescribe antibiotics only after confirming bacterial infection.

The Food Safety Management Authority has temporarily closed the shop pending investigation and collected food and environmental samples to determine how the contamination occurred.

Officials said they are still tracing the source of the outbreak and reviewing the shop’s food-handling procedures. — VNS