An alleged food poisoning case happened in Vietnam’s capital Hanoi on Thursday, leaving two deaths and 15 others hospitalized after they had a party at a conference center in the city, local health authorities reported.

The Sub-Department of Food Safety and Hygiene, under the Hanoi Department of Health, on Friday said it has set up three teams to coordinate with other concerned agencies to probe the cause of the suspected food poisoning case.

Out of the two dead victims, one died on the way to hospital and the other passed away at home, the sub-department said.

By Friday afternoon, 15 other victims had been treated at three hospitals, including 13 at the Poison Control Center of Bach Mai Hospital in Hanoi, another at Duc Giang General Hospital, also in Hanoi, and the other at Nghe An General Hospital.

These patients had the same symptoms of nausea, vomiting, headache and dizziness, among others.

All the 14 victims at Bach Mai and Nghe An have been in stable health conditions during treatment, while the remaining, a male patient at Duc Giang, has been in a coma and put on a ventilator. 

This man, with an underlying disease of diabetes, was diagnosed with severe metabolic acidosis, doctors said.

Previously, these patients attended a party following a conference held on Thursday noon at a convention center in Hanoi’s Long Bien District.

The event was hosted by NBC Pacific LLC, with a total of 80 participants.

Currently, health workers have collected 18 samples of food and five samples of alcohol and sent them to the National Institute for Food Safety and Hygiene Control for testing, the sub-department said. 

The Ministry of Health’s Food Safety Department requested the Hanoi heath authorities to promptly probe the cause of the suspected food poisoning and announce the investigation results as a caution to the public as soon as possible.

The agency suggested that health authorities suspend the operation of the relevant catering provider pending investigation, and inspected its compliance with laws and regulations on food safety and hygiene.

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