Sea foods down 115 in South Cotabato
Local News • 03:50 AM Sat Nov 19, 2016
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By:
Roel Osano and Edwin Fernandez
For illustration purposes only
KORONADAL
CITY –- A suspected food poisoning case was reported in Polomolok, South Cotabato that sent about 115 persons, including more than 30 provincial government workers, top various hospitals due to severe stomach pains, diarrhea and vomiting, officials said.Of the number, 29 remained in Polomolok Municipal Hospital while others provincial government employees are confined in various hospitals here.Health officials and some of the victims believed spoiled sea foods was the culprit.Dr. Alla Baby
Vingno, South Cotabato assistant health chief, said the Provincial Epidemiology
Surveillance Unit (PESU) listed 115 patients who were rushed to various
hospitals in the city about five hours after eating shells, squids and adobo
for lunch.
Only 29
remained in Polomolok town hospital, Vingno said of the victims, some are
provincial government employees, who complained of severe stomach pain,
diarrhea and vomiting. Others were confined in various hospitals in Koronadal
City.
The provincial
workers were in Barangay Lumbakil, Polomolok Thursday for an outreach
program. There they ate lunch.
With
different kinds of foods served during the outreach program, it was difficult
to determine which of them hit the victims, Vingno said.
She assured
all the patients are now out of danger and may be out soon.
Jorly
Baldonado, driver of South Cotabato LGU, said he and members of Barangay
Affairs Unit complained of abdominal disorders about five hours after lunch. They
arrived at the hospital one at a time with the same complaints, he said.
Dads Bacalso, Provincial
Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office Operations Officer, said the
provincial government will take care of the hospital expenses of all the
victims.
Despite the
alleged food poisoning, Bacalso said another outreach program will push through
as scheduled in Barangay Benigno Aquino in Norala.
This is the
second alleged food poisoning case in the province this week. On Tuesday, a family of five were
hospitalized after eating Bulalo in Koronadal City.