20 kindergarten students in stable condition in rat poison incident

One of the children undergoes a medical examination at the Lai Châu's Provincial General Hospital. — VNA/VNS Photo

LAI CHÂU — Twenty children, aged between 23-34 months, from Giang Ma Preschool in the northern mountainous province of Lai Châu are currently in stable condition following fears that they may have ingested rat poison.

Authorities reported that the children were quickly hospitalised after a teacher found several students in the class holding what appeared to be rat poison tablets on Tuesday.

Fearing they may have mistaken the tablets for sweets, the teacher promptly alerted the local health station and the children were immediately transported to Lai Châu's Provincial General Hospital for medical examination and treatment.

Emergency procedures were carried out by the hospital's doctors, while the Poison Control Centre at Hà Nội-based Bạch 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.

Authorities reveal a teacher bought the rat poison to address a rodent problem in the school’s storage room, which is adjacent to the children's classroom.

The poison was placed in the room on Monday, but the teacher reportedly forgot to inform colleagues about it.

The authorities are taking further precautions, sending samples from the children to central health labs for testing to confirm the cause of their symptoms. — VNS