Three people in Ninh Thuan Province, south-central Vietnam suffered food poisoning after eating canh chua (Vietnamese sweet and sour soup) with puffer fish, with one of them dead later, local authorities said on Tuesday.

At 11:00 am on Friday last week, Huynh Van C., 35, Do Van Ph., 34, and Do Tai Tr., 35, caught a puffer fish weighing around two kilograms, according to the People’s Committee of Thuan Nam District, Ninh Thuan Province, where the three reside. 

They later cooked canh chua with the fish.

After eating the dish, the three developed symptoms of poisoning, such as numbness of the lips, tongue, hands, and legs, fatigue, and dizziness at 1:00 pm the same day.

They visited the medical station in Ca Na Commune, Thuan Nam District for first aid.

They were later transferred to the Ninh Thuan General Hospital for further treatment as the symptoms persisted. 

However, C. died at 0:30 on Saturday last week.

Meanwhile, Ph. and Tr. have overcome the critical stage but are still at the hospital.

Chairman of the Ninh Thuan People’s Committee Tran Quoc Nam has written to relevant departments and agencies asking them to enhance the food safety management in the province.

They should improve residents’ awareness of using food safely and ask locals not to eat puffer fish.

Nam also required units under the provincial Department of Health to figure out the cause of the above food poisoning case and the provincial General Hospital to provide intensive care for the poisoned patients.

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