Bacillus cereus identified as source of food poisoning outbreak in Vietnam
The Director of the Vinh Phuc Department of Health, Le Hong Trung, said the cause of a food poisoning outbreak at Shinwon Ebenezer Vietnam Co., Ltd. that saw over 400 people taken to hospital in Vinh Phuc in April was due to Bacillus cereus.
The mass food poisoning incident happened on 15 Apr 2024, after workers had their lunch. They started to vomit, suffer from abdominal pain and headaches and 438 of them were rushed to medical facilities in Vinh Yen City. The workers reported that their lunch consisted of stir-fried turkey with lemongrass and chili, stir-fried cauliflower, pickled vegetables and bean sprout soup.
Trung said the food item which had caused the sickness was the sour soup with bean sprouts, which included ingredients like tamarind, spring onions and coriander. The investigation revealed that on that particular day, there was a shortage of 6 kilograms of bean sprouts during the menu preparation and so kitchen staff had bought additional supplies from Vinh Yen Market.
Although the vegetable supplier for the kitchen met food safety standards, the additional vegetables bought from the market did not go through the supplier. Provincial authorities are continuing to investigate to clarify further details.
Bacillus cereus is a well recognized and common cause of food poisoning (bacterial intoxication or toxin-mediated infection) worldwide. It is commonly found in low levels in raw, dried and processed foods. The bacterium causes two types of toxins: a diarrheal type and a vomiting type.
The diarrheal type of this food poisoning is usually associated with meats, milk and vegetables. The onset for the disease is from 8-16 hours and it lasts 12 to 14 hours.
The vomiting type of this food poisoning is due to rice, grains, cereals and other starchy foods. The onset is quite rapid (30 minutes to 6 hours) and usually lasts a day or so. This type is frequently associated with outbreaks due to cooked rice held at room temperature.
This type of food poisoning is rarely fatal and cannot be transmitted from person to person. Prevention is properly cooking of food, and if not consumed, rapid cooling prior to storage.