Regulations on food poisoning declaration and report in Vietnam

Regulations on food poisoning declaration and report in Vietnam (Internet image)

Regarding this issue, LawNet would like to answer as follows:

1. What is food poisoning?

According to Clause 1, Article 3 of the Regulation promulgated together with Decision 39/2006/QD-BYT, food poisoning is an acute syndrome caused by the consumption of food or drink containing hazardous substances, which lead to symptoms in stomach, bowel, nervous system or others depending on the poisoning elements.

2. Regulations on food poisoning declaration and report in Vietnam

Specifically, in Article 5 of the Regulation promulgated together with Decision 39/2006/QD-BYT stipulates food poisoning declaration and report as follows:

2.1. Food poisoning declaration in Vietnam

- Any person discovering food poisoning cases or having foodborne illness must notify the nearest medical agency, including:

- Medical stations of communes.

- Medical establishments of districts (or Preventive medicine centers).

- Departments of Health or Preventive medicine centers of provinces or cities.

- Regional institutions (National Institute of Nutrition, Pasteur Institute in Nha Trang, Ho Chi Minh City Institute of Hygiene and Public health, Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology of the Central Highland).

- Department of Food safety and hygiene.

The notification shall be in accordance with the form M1 specified in Decision 01/2006/QD-BYT.

2.2. Receiving information about food poisoning and foodborne illness in Vietnam

- Notification by the patient: upon receiving information about food poisoning from the patient, the following information shall be focused on:

= His/her activities before the symptoms emerge and the food he/she has eaten.

= Main symptoms (stomachache, nauseous, vomitting).

= Specimens of vomit, remaining food, contaminants (and check if the specimens are collected).

= Scale: number of people eating food, number of people poisoned.

- Notification by medical practitioners and health workers:

Any health workers or medical practitioners working at medical stations, hospitals or private medical establishments who discover a case of food poisoning or foodborne illness must immediately notify relevant medical agencies. In such notification, the following information shall be focused on:

= Whether food poisoning affect an individual or groups of people.

= Symptoms of patients, irregular symptoms, developments, elements related to patients’ eating and drinking within 48 hours (particularly 12 hours) before the event occurs.

= Examination of specimens of feces, blood, vomit or contaminants from the body of the victim.

= Diagnosis.

= Handling methods and treatments.

- Notification by manager (of enterprises, schools, building sites, plantations, establishments): the following information shall be focused on:

= Scale: total number of people poisoned, total number of people transferred to hospitals.

= Issues related to eating and drinking.

= Meal providers.

= Stored specimens of suspicious food.

= For schools: grades of poisoned students, type of causal meal, food providers.

2.3. Food poisoning reports in Vietnam

- Any health workers who receives information about food poisoning or foodborne illness must report it to his/her superior.

- Any person who is the leader of a medical unit receiving information about food poisoning or foodborne illness must consider the notification to make the following decisions:

+ If his/her unit is eligible for conducting an investigation into the food poisoning case, an investigating team shall be appointed to conduct on-site investigation and report the results to the superior. If the unit is not capable of conducting investigation, it shall report the situation to the higher authority and request the higher authority to assign an investigating team for the case.

+ If the food poisoning case or foodborne illness can spread out, the scale and possibility of the outbreak must be promtly predicted and reported to the local People’s Committee and the superior medical agency.

+ The following information must be noticed:

(i) Suspicion of drug intoxication.

(ii) Suspicion of poisoning caused by gas, tap-water, well-water or other elements

(iii) Suspicion of intentional causing of poisoning.

Food poisoning reporting regime and report form shall be in accordance with regulations in Decision 01/2006/QD-BYT.

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