Breaking News: Dormitory Students Sickened with Food Poisoning After Dinner at Campus Canteen in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

On the evening of May 8, 19 students staying in Ho Chi Minh City National University’s dormitory were rushed to Thu Duc Regional General Hospital with symptoms of abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea. The students had consumed dinner at a canteen in dormitory B before becoming ill. This incident has led authorities to suspect food poisoning as the cause.

The hospital’s emergency room admitted the patients from 10:00 p.m. on May 8 to the early hours of May 9. Most of the students experienced stomach pain, while some also had vomiting and diarrhea after consuming dinner. Fortunately, none of the cases exhibited severe symptoms like dehydration or low blood pressure, and the patients’ conditions were reported as stable.

BS.CK2 Ho Thanh Phong, Head of General Planning Department at Thu Duc Regional General Hospital, confirmed that food poisoning was suspected as the cause of this outbreak and promptly notified the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health about it. The city’s Center for Disease Control is currently investigating this outbreak to determine its cause, but no specific food has been identified yet.

To prevent such incidents from happening again in the future, experts advise consuming only cooked food and boiled water, avoiding leaving food out for extended periods, maintaining proper food storage practices, and practicing good hygiene by washing hands before and after handling food. Cross-contamination between raw and cooked foods should be avoided at all costs, and any suspected contaminated food should be discarded immediately.

The incident at Ho Chi Minh City National University is just one example of how hot weather conditions can create an ideal environment for bacterial growth and spoilage of food products. Other recent cases have also emerged in different parts of Vietnam due to similar weather conditions.

It is crucial to raise awareness about safe eating practices among students living on campus to minimize the risks associated with such collective incidents occurring again in the future.

In conclusion, preventing food poisoning requires a combination of safe eating habits and proper maintenance practices by both individuals and catering companies involved in providing meals on campus.