Hot season approaches, risk of food poisoning increases
Prolonged hot weather creates favorable conditions for bacteria to grow in food, especially when ingredients are not processed and stored properly, increasing the risk of poisoning.
In just one week, food poisoning cases occurred consecutively in Ho Chi Minh City at Tan Tuc Secondary School and Tue Duc Education System, causing dozens of students and teachers to be hospitalized.
From noon to the afternoon of March 29, the Emergency Department and the Department of Pediatrics (District Hospital 11) received 37 patients from a picnicking group of Tan Tuc School, after a trip to Dam Sen Cultural Park. Among the hospitalizations were 33 students (13-15 years old), two teachers, a driver and a 6-year-old child accompanying the group. All had symptoms of abdominal pain and vomiting.
Previously, on March 26-27, dozens of students from the Tue Duc Education System (Thu Duc City) showed symptoms of abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea after eating at school.
Street food is convenient but full of worries
Dr. Tran Viet Nga - Director of the Department of Food Safety - commented that street food attracts a large number of consumers because it is convenient, cheap and abundant. Dishes such as mixed rice paper, grilled skewers, stir-fried corn, fried fish balls, sweet soup, milk tea... are suitable for students, students, and workers. However, this type also has many potential dangers to food hygiene and safety.
Many sidewalk shops use poor quality ingredients, pork belly, unsafe frozen foods, marinated foods and cheap colorings to enhance the flavor or cover up damaged odors. Processing tools are often reused many times, not thoroughly cleaned, while the selling place is often dusty, the processor does not wear gloves or masks.
In the summer, food is very likely to spoil if not stored in cold, creating conditions for bacteria to grow quickly. Dishes such as grilled skewers also have a high risk if the ingredients are of unknown origin, the meat is not grilled thoroughly, leading to the risk of infection, parasites or accumulation of toxins.
Dr. Tran Viet Nga warned: "Consumers should choose clean, fresh ingredients, avoid buying food in dusty areas and should increase resistance with a reasonable diet, prioritizing cooking at home to ensure safety".
Dr. Nguyen Trung Nguyen - Director of the Poison Control Center, Bach Mai Hospital - said that food poisoning is mainly caused by three groups of causes: microbiota, chemicals and natural toxins. Among them, microorganisms are the most common cause, especially Salmonella bacteria.
Salmonella causes two types of disease: Gastrointestinal infections (fever, diarrhea, usually recovery after 1 week) and severe cases of sepsis (welding) can lead to death with a rate of up to 10%.
The main source of infection is contaminated food due to poor farming and processing conditions. Bacteria often live in wastewater or animal intestines. If not cleaned and cooked thoroughly, bacteria will exist in the food, causing disease for users.
The Food Safety Department warns that dishes such as grilled meat, skewers, and street food are very popular but are also a source of poisoning if hygiene is not guaranteed. Common causes are reusable frying oil, unknown ingredients and unsanitary processing conditions.
People should choose clean restaurants, sellers should use handbags when processing; do not buy foods with strange colors, foul odors, black fried oil or a lot of residue. Avoid eating in dusty places, near major roads; prioritize cooking at home to ensure safety. At the same time, it is necessary to maintain personal hygiene, eat cooked food and drink boiled water and increase resistance.
