Three more people poisoned after eating pork sausage and fish sauce

Ho Chi Minh City: Three men showed unusual symptoms after eating street-sold pork sausage and old fish sauce. Doctors determined they were suffering from botulinum poisoning, along with three children being treated at Nhi Dong 2.

Three people, all living in Thu Duc City, including two brothers aged 18 and 26 and another person aged 45. All three came into contact with the suspected contaminated food on May 13. Two of the brothers ate bread with pork sausage sold on the street, while the other ate a type of fish sauce that had been left for a long time.

The next day, all three had symptoms of digestive disorders, fatigue, dizziness, headaches, abdominal pain and diarrhea. The condition worsened, with muscle weakness, double vision and difficulty swallowing.

The 18-year-old patient had the earliest symptoms, muscle weakness, and was admitted to the Ho Chi Minh City Hospital for Tropical Diseases. The 45-year-old patient was admitted to Gia Dinh People's Hospital on the afternoon of May 15. The 26-year-old patient had less severe symptoms and was examined at Cho Ray Hospital.

On the afternoon of May 20, Dr. Le Quoc Hung, Head of the Department of Tropical Diseases at Cho Ray Hospital, said that doctors from Cho Ray, Gia Dinh People's Hospital, and Tropical Diseases Hospital consulted and determined that three patients had botulinum poisoning. After the consultation, the doctors decided to transfer the patient from Tropical Diseases to Cho Ray for treatment with his brother.

Two patients, 18 and 45 years old, are on ventilators, with muscle paralysis and only 1/5 muscle strength. The 26-year-old patient has 3-4/5 muscle strength, meaning he can move a little and breathe on his own. However, the doctor predicts that he is at high risk of needing ventilator support in the next few days.

Patients with botulinum poisoning must use the specific antidote BAT. However, this medicine is currently out of stock in Vietnam, so doctors can only monitor and provide supportive treatment.

The cause of the poisoning is still unclear, but doctors have determined that this is the next cluster of cases following the case of three children with botulinum poisoning based on the epidemiological factor of all eating pork sausage sold on the street on May 13. Specifically, three brothers aged 10-14, along with their aunt, ate pork sausage bought from an unknown seller, then showed symptoms of poisoning. The three children were seriously ill, and were given the last two bottles of antidote in Vietnam. Currently, two children are still on ventilators, while the remaining child is improving well. The aunt's condition was less severe and she is being treated at home.

Botulinum is a very strong neurotoxin, produced by anaerobic bacteria - bacteria that prefer closed environments such as canned foods, or food environments that do not meet the standards to inhibit bacterial growth.

Symptoms of poisoning include abdominal pain, muscle pain, fatigue, blurred or double vision, dry mouth, difficulty speaking, difficulty swallowing, drooping eyelids, and general muscle weakness. Finally, the patient has difficulty breathing or cannot breathe due to paralysis of the respiratory muscles. These signs appear slowly or quickly depending on the amount of botulinum ingested.

Experts recommend that people should eat cooked food and drink boiled water, choose food with clear origin, quality and safety. Be careful with sealed food that has changed taste or color, canned food that is swollen or leaking.

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