Salmonella, E.coli bacteria responsible for mass banh mi poisoning in southern Vietnam

Vo Thi Ngoc Lam, vice director of the Dong Nai Department of Health, said on Tuesday that most of the samples collected from the patients and food from the "Bang" banh mi shop contained Salmonella.

The presence of E.coli was also confirmed in other samples.

The Ho Chi Minh City Children’s Hospital 2 also announced on Monday test results from a 6-year-old boy who was transferred from Dong Nai, with the sample testing positive for Salmonella.

Three days prior, three other children treated at the Dong Nai Children’s Hospital also tested positive for E.coli.

Salmonella bacteria has been determined to be one of the top causes of diarrhea globally, including in mass poisoning cases, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

The bacteria can cause dehydration, hypotension, multiple organ failure and even death. They thrive in hot and moist environments, and one can contract them through consumption of contaminated food.

E.coli is a common bacteria found in fresh food products, such as meat, milk, juice, cheese, fruits and vegetables.

Compared to the E.coli, Salmonella bacteria causes more severe and dangerous symptoms.

Food poisoning symptoms caused by Salmonella can show up in just one day, but in some cases it can take up to 4-5 days, or more.

A child is treated for food poisoning at the Dong Nai Children's Hospital after eating banh mi at an eatery in Dong Nai Province. Photo courtesy of the hospital

Previously, on May 3, authorities performed a check on the Bang banh mi shop and sealed the store’s freezer, which contained around 15 kg of fermented products, 1 kg of processed pork, 1 kg of pork paste, and 10 kg of pâté. Inspectors collected multiple samples to test them.

The store said they purchased raw ingredients from multiple shops, before cooking them.

By Tuesday, the number of food poisoning cases originating at the banh mi store in Long Khanh City had risen to 568.

The sick patients had eaten banh mi at the shop on April 30 before being hospitalized.

Over 200 patients have been discharged, while 119 people are being monitored at home, and the rest are still under treatment at hospitals.

The most severe case so far was the boy at the Ho Chi Minh City Children’s Hospital 1, who fell in a deep coma and required ventilation and blood filtration.

A police investigation into the case is ongoing.