Within 5 consecutive days in Ho Chi Minh City, 4 positive Asiatic cholera cases were found, and 3 others were suspected of infection. The source of infection reportedly came from the consumption of street food, yet many people are still unconcerned.
The sleazy scene of street food in front of the HCMC University of Social Sciences and Humanities.
Street food has long been listed as one of the main sources for the infection of cholera. However, not many people consider it as a serious problem.
"With people like me, where do we eat if we don't eat street food? Diseases always exist. What's important is that we need to have a strong immune system," a motorbike taxi driver at Binh Trieu intersection said while dipping his raw vegetables into a bowl of fish sauce.
Right in front of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (on Dinh Tien Hoang Road, District 1), a street food vendor used her bare hands to pick up the noodles and sliced the meat after grabbing a filthy cloth to wipe the tables. The two water buckets that she used for washing the dishes had scum floating on the surface, and had turned a milky white colour. Her customers are mostly university students from across the street, and according to them, eating street food is a much cheaper option than going to restaurants. They always eat there and none have been infected with cholera.
Doctor Le Truong Giang, from Ho Chi Minh City Health Department affirmed that street food has never met the required hygienic standards that it needs to. Things are never washed thoroughly with clean water, and food is exposed to sunlight and dust, thus increasing the likelihood of becoming contaminated and causing food poisoning. It was also reported that unwell-cooked food is a favourable environment for cholera viruses to grow and multiply.
From April 4 to April 9, 4 positive cholera cases were found and are now being treated as well as 3 suspected cases of infection as confirmed by the Ho Chi Minh City Health Department.
Street food vendors are still everywhere.