Many agencies in Nghe An are investigating the case of a series of students being admitted to medical stations due to suspected free drinks.

On the morning of March 18, Mr. Pham Ngoc Quy - Head of the Food Safety and Hygiene Department said that the unit had just sent a quick report to the Nghe An Department of Health on the investigation results of the incident on March 16 at Quang Trung Primary School, Quang Trung Ward (Vinh City).

According to this report, on March 17, Nghe An electronic newspaper had an article: "A series of students had to go to the medical station after using free drinks in front of the school gate.". The Food Safety and Hygiene Department has sent officers to directly investigate and verify the incident. The investigation team has worked at Quang Trung Ward Health Station and Quang Trung Primary School, recording the incidents and initial investigation results as follows:

At 1:45 p.m. on March 16, at the gate of Quang Trung Secondary School (next to Quang Trung Primary School, address: Quang Trung Ward, Vinh City, Nghe An), there was a truck with license plate 29D - 226.81 and some people wearing uniforms of a beverage brand giving out some bottles of water to students of Quang Trung Primary School...

Immediately after the discovery, the Principal of Quang Trung Primary School notified all students and directed the homeroom teacher to collect the water bottles and submit them to the school's Health Department. As a result, 183 bottles were collected, including intact bottles and some opened bottles; Quang Trung Secondary School collected 50 bottles.

183 water bottles at Quang Trung Primary School have been sealed for investigation. Photo: Tien Hung

At about 4:15 p.m. the same day, 6 students of class 4D, Quang Trung Primary School, showed symptoms of mild abdominal pain, 2 of which were accompanied by vomiting and were taken by their teachers to Quang Trung Ward Health Station for monitoring and treatment. 3 more children showed no abnormal symptoms but were still transferred to the health station for monitoring at the request of their families. By 9:30 p.m., the children were stable and returned home. On the morning of March 17, the children went to school and did physical activities normally.

On the morning of March 17, according to the report of the Health Station, the People's Committee of Quang Trung Ward collected 183 bottles of water, including used bottles and intact bottles. The samples were sealed in 4 sacks.

Regarding the 9 children monitored at Quang Trung Ward Health Station: According to the school's records, all 9 children drank the entire 455ml bottle of water. Afterwards, 2 children had mild stomach aches and mild vomiting, 4 children reported mild stomach aches and 3 children showed no symptoms. Of the 9 children, 8 had lunch at school with the following dishes: braised chicken, stir-fried bamboo shoots with chicken gizzards, pumpkin soup with chicken bones, 1 child went home to eat, the food has not been investigated.

Regarding lunch at Quang Trung Primary School, the number of meals served by the school: 1,021 meals (total number of students in the school: 1,065 students). Meal time: 10:30 a.m. on March 16, 2021. Dishes: Braised chicken, stir-fried bamboo shoots with chicken gizzards, pumpkin soup with chicken bones.

According to this report, 6/53 children had mild stomachaches after drinking the soft drink, including 2 children who vomited slightly. According to the initial investigation, all 6 children drank the entire 455ml bottle of water. Therefore, it is not possible to rule out the possibility that the children drank too much water at one time, leading to symptoms of bloating. "Through the initial investigation, it is not yet confirmed that this is a case of food poisoning," the initial assessment of the investigation team stated.

At noon on March 17, while the car was handing out drinks at another school gate, the police invited it in for questioning. Photo courtesy: Tien Hung

Regarding the measures implemented, Quang Trung Primary School promptly instructed homeroom teachers and students to collect the free water bottles. Propaganda for teachers, students, and parents to raise vigilance against foods and drinks outside the school's control. Promptly take children with mild symptoms to the medical station for monitoring and treatment. Coordinate with functional units in the process of investigating and verifying the incident.

Quang Trung Ward Health Station promptly handled and monitored students with mild symptoms. Initially, they investigated and coordinated with functional units to investigate and verify the incident.

The Department of Health, Vinh City Medical Center has sent staff to collect information and coordinate with related units to investigate and verify the incident. The Food Safety and Hygiene Department has sent staff to Quang Trung Ward Health Station and Quang Trung Primary School to record, investigate and verify the incident.

Regarding the next measures, the Food Safety and Hygiene Department will coordinate with the Health Department, Vinh City Health Center, Quang Trung Ward Health Station and related units to continue to investigate and supplement the following contents: Investigate the children's lunch on March 16, 2021; Monitor food safety conditions in the kitchen of Quang Trung Primary School. Organize food sampling and study testing indicators to determine the cause of the incident.

In a related development, right after Nghe An Newspaper published an article reflecting the incident, the Ha Huy Tap Ward Police on the same day invited the group distributing free drinks to the ward to work while the group was distributing soft drinks at a school gate in the area./.