EMERGENCY. Health authorities in Agusan del Sur province confirm the hospitalization of 216 residents of Barangay Tandang Sora in Esperanza town on Monday night (Feb. 19, 2024), following complaints of stomach pain, vomiting, and loose bowel movement. Authorities are still investigating the suspected food poisoning of residents, who were beneficiaries of a feeding program. (Photo courtesy of Agusan del Sur-PIO)
BUTUAN CITY – At least 216 residents from a village in Agusan del Sur's town of Esperanza were taken to various hospitals on Monday night after experiencing stomach ache, vomiting, and loose bowel movement -- common effects of food poisoning.
Dr. Jackie Momville, the provincial health officer, said the affected residents from Barangay Tandang Sora were admitted at Esperanza's community hospital and nearby towns.
The patients were among the 1,000 beneficiaries of a feeding program.
“What happened in Barangay Tandang Sora is still under investigation as our surveillance team is still gathering pieces of evidence, gathering samples, and conducting interviews,” Momville said in a press conference on Tuesday.
She said the case is being treated as suspected food poisoning, based on the symptoms exhibited by the patients.
“Our focus now is on health response and the conduct of the investigation to determine what happened. We want to assure everyone that the 216 admitted patients are now safe,” she added.
Dr. Ma. Theresa Labiao, Esperanza's health officer, noted that food poisoning is caused by many factors, including the temperature during food storage, but the most common is preparation.
“We need to study the incident history to come out with the conclusion on the case,” Labiao said during the press conference.
The food distributed came from the Philippine Red Cross (PRC).
“The PRC selected Barangay Tandang Sora for its feeding program as the place is among the severely hit villages during the flooding in the last two weeks,” Daniel Ajoc, municipal disaster risk reduction management officer, said.
PRC hot meals
During a radio interview in Prosperidad town on Tuesday, PRC provincial officer Darwina Ligan said there was no conclusive investigation yet to determine the cause.
“What we are serving residents are newly cooked meals through our Hot Meals on Wheels program,” Ligan said, adding that the program has been making the rounds of towns hit by flooding for the past eight days.
Ligan said feeding programs in San Luis and Esperanza towns are temporarily suspended as of Tuesday. (PNA)
