Three siblings were hospitalized due to contracting botulism after eating cha lua (Vietnamese pork sausage) sold on a street in Ho Chi Minh City.

Cho Ray Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City said on Tuesday that the hospital used antitoxin vials sent from Quang Nam Province, central Vietnam to save these patients.

At 9:00 am on May 13, a family of four in Thu Duc City under Ho Chi Minh City, including three siblings aged between 10 and 14 and their aunt, bought cha lua from a street vendor to eat with bread.

Three hours after their breakfast, the four suffered stomachache, diarrhea and vomiting. The three siblings also developed other symptoms such as fatigue and muscle weakness.

A day later, the three were taken to Children’s Hospital 2 in downtown Ho Chi Minh City due to their physical exhaustion.

The three suffered drooping eyelids, weakness of legs, and respiratory failure.

Children’s Hospital 2 sought support from some doctors at Cho Ray Hospital to treat them. They were suspected of being poisoned.

At 3:00 on May 15, the doctors of the two hospitals diagnosed them with botulism poisoning from eating cha lua.

The doctors quickly treated them as botulism can lead to muscle paralysis and serious respiratory failure.

One hour after taking botulism antitoxins shipped from Quang Nam Northern Mountainous Region General Hospital in the namesake province, the three young patients’ health condition was stabilized on Tuesday.

Botulism is a serious illness caused by clostridium botulinum, a poisonous substance in the bacteria found in badly preserved food, according to the Ministry of Health.

People with botulism poisoning develop symptoms of vomiting, the paralysis of the head, neck and face, weakness in the arms, legs and chest, and drooping eyelids 12-36 hours after eating food containing clostridium botulinum.

Canned meat is one of the food products linked to botulism.

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