Salmonella, a foodborne pathogen, has been identified as the cause of a recent mass food poisoning incident in Vung Tau, a popular beach city in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province, southern Vietnam.

The outbreak affected 379 people and claimed one life after they consumed banh mi from a local bakery, according to health authorities.

The bacteria were detected in all tested samples of banh mi ingredients from the bakery, Co Ba Ben Dinh.

Contaminated items included boiled pork, pork pate, pork roll, pork sauce, and vegetables, the Sub-Department of Food Safety and Hygiene reported on Saturday.

These samples failed to meet national technical standards for microbial contamination in food, as prescribed by the Ministry of Health, the sub-department affirmed.

As of Saturday afternoon, the number of victims of the mass banh mi poisoning taken to health facilities in the province had amounted to 379, the Department of Health reported.  

All affected patients exhibited the same symptoms, including abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, and fatigue, after eating banh mi at Co Ba Ben Dinh on Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning. 

One of these victims, Tran Van R., 71, a man who lived in a rented house in Vung Tau, died on Thursday evening.

The victim was admitted to Ba Ria Hospital at 7:45 am on the same day, suffering from vomiting and diarrhea after eating the bread from the bakery on Wednesday morning.

Doctors diagnosed him with sepsis, a severe digestive infection, and acute kidney injury, which ultimately proved fatal.

Following the fatality, the provincial authorities have directed local police to investigate and strictly handle the mass food poisoning case.

Co Ba Ben Dinh, located on Nguyen An Ninh Street in Ward 7, where xoi (sticky rice) was also sold, has been temporarily shut down pending the results of the investigation.

Inspectors visited the establishment on Wednesday, but the owner was unable to provide essential documents, including those verifying the origin of the banh mi ingredients.

Medical experts explain that salmonella bacteria can infect both humans and animals, often leading to gastrointestinal illnesses, particularly food poisoning.

Certain strains of the pathogen can result in severe conditions like typhoid fever or sepsis.

Salmonella is commonly transmitted through contaminated foods such as eggs, milk, meat, and raw vegetables.

It can also spread through contact with infected animals, polluted water, or unsanitary environments.

After entering the human body through the digestive tract, salmonella has an incubation period of 7-72 hours before causing belly pain, diarrhea, fever, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal muscle cramps, experts said.

In recent times, many food poisoning cases due to banh mi have occurred in Vietnam.

The latest happened in August, affecting 149 victims in southern Dong Thap Province.

Another case was recorded in May in Dong Nai Province’s Long Khanh City, also in the southern region, involving 568, one of whom – a five-year-old boy – died a month later. 

One more case occurred in Hoi An, a tourist city in central Quang Nam Province, in September 2023, causing 313 people, including 103 foreigners, to be hospitalized.

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