Officials from the Lai Chau Provincial Health Department at an urgent meeting held on the case on November 5.
The Lai Chau Provincial Health Department reported at an urgent meeting held on the case on Tuesday afternoon that a teacher at the Giang Ma Kindergarten saw the students holding and eating some rat poison tablets in the class at 8.40 am the same day. A staff member of the school earlier bought the made-in-Thailand rat poison and placed it in some areas in a nearby storage room, but the staff member reportedly forgot to inform colleagues about it. As the two class teachers went out, some children followed and found the tablets, which they thought were sweets and took the poison without their teachers noticing.
After seeing the children with the tablets in class, the teacher immediately alerted the local healthcare centre. The children were immediately transported to Lai Chau's Provincial General Hospital for medical examination and treatment.
A pack of the rat poison found at the kindergarten. Photo by Baolaichau
The hospital's doctors performed emergency procedures, while the Poison Control Centre at Hanoi-based Bach Mai Hospital, the leading public hospital in the northern region, provided remote medical assistance.
The doctors observed that two children displayed symptoms of abdominal pain and nausea, which could indicate exposure to the poison. The other children showed no unusual symptoms but were kept under observation as a precautionary measure.
By late afternoon, they confirmed that all 20 children were stable, though they would remain at the hospital under observation for the next 24 to 72 hours.
The authorities are taking further precautions, sending blood samples from the children to central health labs for testing to confirm the cause of their symptoms.
A team of doctors and experts from Bach Mai Hospital has been sent to Lai Chau to assist in the children's treatment.