On January 24, the Director of Bach Mai Hospital announced that the hospital is focusing all resources on treating 32 children who were poisoned by rat poison. The children were transferred from Tuyen Quang after a serious incident at their school.
alt: Doctors are examining a patient at Bach Mai Hospital.
Currently, all children are conscious, able to play, and are under close monitoring and specialized treatment. Medical staff continuously review the cases to ensure no other toxic substances are overlooked.
Cause of the Incident
On the evening of January 22, the Pediatric Center and the Poison Control Center at Bach Mai Hospital received 32 children, mostly students from grades 1 to 5 at Phu Binh Elementary School in Tuyen Quang City. The children reportedly drank what they thought was syrup but turned out to be rat poison.
According to the children’s accounts, several red plastic tubes containing liquid were found near a tea plantation near the school. Some students also found blue tubes and brought them back to share with others. Later, more tubes were retrieved from bushes inside the school gate.
One parent whose second-grade daughter is being treated at the Poison Control Center shared, “My child drank about 1-2 drops from a friend. At first, she said it smelled sweet like candy syrup, but when she tasted it again, it was bitter, so she spat it out.”
Dr. Nguyen Trung Nguyen, Director of the Poison Control Center, stated that seven children consumed significant amounts, ranging from one-third to one full tube. These children exhibited symptoms such as headaches, vomiting, dizziness, and are at high risk for severe poisoning. The remaining children drank only 1-3 drops.
alt: Some children drank between one-third to one full tube, while others only drank 1-3 drops.
Treatment Process
Dr. Nguyen Thanh Nam, Director of the Pediatric Center, explained that all patients have been thoroughly examined, evaluated, tested, and monitored according to the protocol. Tests include evaluating the extent of poisoning, checking for toxins in urine, MRI scans, echocardiograms, etc.
According to Dr. Nguyen, based on the characteristics of the red liquid tubes, the symptoms, and toxicology test results, this is a case of fluoroacetate/fluoroacetamide rodenticide poisoning.
“In addition to the main treatment, we are carefully monitoring for any additional toxic substances that might have caused concurrent poisoning. Notably, the bag found by the first child also contained blue tubes,” Dr. Nguyen emphasized.
alt: Patients are receiving intensive treatment at Bach Mai Hospital.
Risks of Fluoroacetate/Fluoroacetamide Rodenticides
Fluoroacetate/fluoroacetamide is a rodenticide of Chinese origin. It is typically packaged in plastic or glass tubes containing pink, clear, brown, or rice-like colored granules. All products lack clear labeling and are entirely in Chinese.
This chemical is highly toxic to the nervous system, causing seizures, coma, severe brain damage, acute heart failure, arrhythmia, and hypocalcemia. It was responsible for most rat poison-related fatalities in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Despite being banned in Vietnam for years, these chemicals continue to reappear through street vendors, online sales, or even black-market transactions.
Conclusion and Recommendations
The incident involving 32 children poisoned by mistakenly drinking rat poison serves as a warning about managing hazardous chemicals in the environment. Parents and schools must enhance education on the dangers of consuming unknown substances. Additionally, authorities need to tighten regulations on the sale and use of hazardous chemicals.
To protect children’s health, always supervise and teach them how to identify risks. If any signs of poisoning are detected, seek immediate medical attention at the nearest healthcare facility.
Source: dantri.com.vn
