On May 4, Dong Nai Department of Health Director Le Quang Trung announced that three children who fell seriously ill after consuming Bang bread have tested positive for E. coli bacteria. Further test results will be available the following day, and the Department of Health will report on whether the E. coli bacteria found in the blood tests match the food samples or not on May 6.
E. coli bacteria are commonly found in fresh produce, beef, fresh milk, juice, cheese, raw fruits and vegetables. Symptoms of E. coli infection include nausea, vomiting and watery or bloody diarrhea. The disease typically appears three to four days after consuming contaminated food. Young children and the elderly are more susceptible to serious complications such as hemolytic uremic syndrome which can lead to kidney failure.
Authorities have reported 530 suspected cases of poisoning from consuming Bang bread with an increase of 80 cases from the previous day. Most new patients have mild symptoms and are being treated at home. However, five seriously ill children are currently receiving treatment at Dong Nai Children’s Hospital with three showing signs of improvement and two remaining on ventilators. One child had a good prognosis while another experienced a cardiac arrest during an emergency at Long Khanh Regional General Hospital. Additionally, a critically ill six-year-old patient was transferred to Children’s Hospital 1 in Ho Chi Minh City from Dong Nai Children’s Hospital for further treatment.
Investigations into the Bang bread shop revealed that the owner bought ingredients and prepared the bread at home before shutting down the shop authorities are now tracing the origin of ingredients and testing samples to identify source of poisoning