ILOILO City – The Provincial Health Office (PHO) reminded the public of several food safety measures in the wake of the food poisoning incident which killed one student and downed 40 others in Ajuy, Iloilo.
According to provincial health officer Rodney Labis, chief of PHO’s Health Service Delivery Division, what happened to the students of Pili National High School (PNHS) in Ajuy should serve as an eye opener to everyone to be cautious of the food they prepare and eat.
For any event which requires volume of food for mass attendees, serve food that don’t easily spoil, Labis said, noting that it is hard to maintain the quality of the food if there are many eaters.
During food production, he also said, it is also important to make sure that our hands are clean and the food is cooked well.
He added that the source of water, too, should be clean and as much as possible it should be sourced from water purifying stations with health permit from the local government unit. If unsure of the source, boil the water at least three minutes before using or drinking.
Also, food containers must be properly washed.
Labis said that as consumers, it is important to be mabusisi of the food we eat especially if it is from outside of the household and not sure how it is being prepared.
“Makita man na naton sa itsura sang pagkaon kon guba or indi. Before magkaon, tilawan anay if okay pa ang sabor. If indi na manami, indi na pagkaunon and inform ang naga-serve sang pagkaon para ma-aware iban nga consumer,” Labis said.
The provincial health officer also stressed to everyone to go back to what was taught in school – always wash hands before and after eating or handling food.
As to the case at PNHS wherein the preparation of the food was done by most of the students, Labis said it is important that there is an adult supervising or guiding them.
On the part of the Provincial Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (PESU), Labis said they will use the established data regarding the food poisoning to advocate proper hygiene and observance of food sanitation.
He advised everyone to immediately seek consultation at the nearest health center or hospital if a family member is experiencing symptoms like vomiting, loose bowel movement and dehydration so it can be treated immediately and to avoid complication or worse, death.
PHO head, Dr. Ma. Socorro Colmenares-Quiñon, disclosed that of the 40 patients of food poisoning, 30 were aged 16 to 19 years old.
She added that 21 patients were admitted at the Sara District Hospital, nine at the Governor Niel D. Tupas Sr. District Hospital in Barotac Viejo, 10 sought consultation at the Ajuy Rural Health Unit, and one died.
Meantime, the laboratory result of the 22 patients came out positive for amoeba.
PESU investigation showed that the students from three sections prepared their respective food for their acquaintance party after the United Nations celebration in their school on Nov. 4. One section prepared buko pandan juice which they shared to other sections.
The common denominator of them all was they all drank buko pandan juice.
“Nakainom tanan sang buko pandan juice. So with that, makahambal kita the possible source would have been buko pandan nga na-prepare,” said Quiñon.
She added that they have not determined yet if the contamination was with the water they used or the ice and milk.
Quiñon noted that the PESU already extracted stool specimen and submitted it to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine for confirmatory test as well as water samples from different sources near the school for water testing.
Aside from buko pandan juice, the students also prepared chicken adobo, vegetable lumpia, kasag, hotdog, and chocolate cake./PN
