Mystery Behind Chi Lang High School’s Food Poisoning Incident: What Led to E.coli Contamination?

The investigation into the food poisoning incident at Chi Lang High School is ongoing, and authorities have not yet made a final determination. On June 15, the school held a meal in its collective kitchen for over 400 people, including students, teachers, staff and workers. The meal consisted of various dishes throughout the day. Despite symptoms such as abdominal pain, diarrhea and mild fever experienced by 19 out of the 400 people who ate the food, laboratory tests did not detect Salmonella bacteria in any of the samples.

However, further tests revealed that there was a presence of E.coli bacteria in pennywort soup samples taken from the school’s kitchen. While this exceeded allowable limits, it was not enough to identify the pathogenic strain responsible for the illness. Hoang Anh Gia Lai University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital reported that the students were infected with E.coli bacteria; however, their symptoms did not match those caused by the pathogenic strain. As such, authorities are still investigating to determine what led to this incident.