142 children taken sick after school meal in Saigon

A large group of students from a primary school in Saigon came home vomiting and suffering from high fevers and diarrhea last week, and authorities are pointing fingers at the food they were served at school.

The mass poisoning affected 142 students at An Phu Primary School in District 2 on Thursday last week. Many of them were hospitalized the next morning and diagnosed with gastrointestinal infections.

Authorities confirmed the incident on Monday when around 10 children were still receiving treatment at home and in hospital, local media reported.

An investigation found the children had eaten rice, meatloaf, stir-fried beans, chivas soup with ground pork and tofu, and apples for lunch that day. They had noodle soup in the afternoon.

Health officials have taken samples for testing.

Food safety is a national concern in Vietnam.

Official government data showed food poisoning killed 22 people and hospitalized 3,147 others in the first 11 months this year, almost twice the figure from a year ago.

Many mass poisoning cases have been reported in schools, factories and rural parties this year.