More than 10 people were hospitalized after eating at a funeral in Sa Pa.

According to the Department of Food Safety and Hygiene of Lao Cai province, on August 5, at the family of Mr. Ma AT in San II village, Hoang Lien commune, Sa Pa town (Lao Cai province), a funeral was held for his son. Many local people, brothers, and relatives from other communes attended and ate scattered meals from 11:00 a.m. on August 4, 2023 to the evening of August 5.

The dining area at a funeral where 11 people in Hoang Lien commune (Sa Pa town) had to be hospitalized for emergency treatment (Photo: Lao Cai Department of Health provided).

Food includes boiled pork, blood pudding, cabbage soup, white wine, and white rice.

From around 6:30 a.m. on August 5, 11 people with symptoms of abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and frequent loose stools were taken to Sa Pa General Hospital for treatment by their families. Currently, the health of the patients has gradually stabilized.

According to the Lao Cai Province Food Safety and Hygiene Department, through research with some local people, the Mong people have a custom that when there is a funeral, people from the same village and brothers bring food such as rice, meat, wine, etc. to contribute to the host's feast. The host often slaughters pigs and buffaloes to worship and entertain guests.

Eating and drinking in large numbers at funerals for many days, with inadequate food processing conditions, ingredients being contributed by many different people, not having enough tools to process, preserve, and contain food, and preparing blood pudding are high risks of causing food poisoning.

Therefore, the Lao Cai provincial health sector recommends that the authorities, commune organizations and functional agencies need to have appropriate forms of propaganda so that people can change unhygienic eating habits.

Thereby preventing the risk of food poisoning in crowded places like the recent incident at a funeral in Hoang Lien commune (Sa Pa town), which caused more than 10 people to be hospitalized.

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/lao-cai-hon-10-nguoi-phai-nhap-vien-sau-khi-an-com-tai-mot-dam-ma-o-sa-pa-post259376.html