At least 64 people have been hospitalised with suspected food poisoning in Vietnam’s Quang Tri province, with authorities pointing to bread from a local bakery as the likely cause. The Huong Hoa Regional General Hospital reported admitting 18 patients on Friday, in addition to 46 admitted the previous day, according to local news outlet Lao Dong. One patient has been discharged, leaving 63 individuals still receiving treatment at the facility.
Details of the Outbreak
The first patients began arriving at around 6:30 am on Thursday, presenting symptoms such as high fever, diarrhoea, vomiting, abdominal pain, fatigue, and dehydration, hospital chief Nguyen Viet Duc told Vietnam news sources. Patients were administered intravenous fluids, oral rehydration, and antibiotics, and are now in stable condition. The hospital has deployed additional medical staff to manage the influx during the holiday period of Reunification Day and International Workers’ Day.
Patient Demographics
Those still hospitalised are predominantly aged 11 to 15, though the group includes a 28-month-old child and an 87-year-old. Investigations revealed that all affected individuals had consumed bread from a bakery in Tan Son village within the same timeframe. The bakery had supplied 44 loaves of bread on Thursday to the Huong Loc Ethnic Minority Boarding Primary and Secondary School, where many victims ate the product.
Authorities’ Response
The bakery held a household business registration certificate and had committed to food safety standards. Authorities have collected food samples for testing to determine the exact cause of the suspected poisoning. The local people’s committee ordered the bakery to suspend operations temporarily pending further investigation. No deaths have been reported so far.
