Ninety-one individuals, including 34 foreigners, were identified as victims of a food poisoning incident in Hoi An, a tourist city in central Vietnam’s Quang Nam Province, this week, according to a report from local health authorities.
Thirty-two of the victims were released from emergency care following hospital treatment and one was transferred to the Da Nang Hospital for Women and Children in neighboring Da Nang, approximately 40 kilometers from Hoi An, the provincial Department of Health reported on Wednesday evening.
Four foreign patients who were admitted to Vinh Duc General Hospital’s resuscitation ward have so far healed to the point that they can breathe without ventilators, according to doctors.
All 91 victims were hospitalized on Tuesday with fever, vomiting, stomachaches, and diarrhea a few hours after eating banh mi – a Vietnamese baguette typically filled with cold meats, pâté, and vegetables – at Banh Mi Phuong, a popular bakery in Hoi An.
The Hoi An administration suspended Banh Mi Phuong’s operations immediately following the incident and the local health center has taken food samples from the bakery for testing.
Banh Mi Phuong sold 1,920 loaves of banh mi on Monday and 1,700 others on Tuesday, the center reported, adding that all 10 of the bakery's ingredients were sourced from different providers.
The center also said it is looking into food provision contracts between Banh Mi Phuong and three of its suppliers.
The center also noted that several of Banh Mi Phuong’s suppliers work with the bakery sans any contract.
According to VTC News, Banh Mi Phuong had failed to meet food hygiene standards specified by the Sub-Department of Food Safety and Hygiene under the provincial Department of Health.
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