11 children in Antipolo hospitalized after eating ‘tuba-tuba’

A PARENT shows the inside of a jatropha fruit in Barangay San Nicolas 1, Sasmuan, Pampanga. REYMOND T. OREJAS/INQUIRER CENTRAL LUZON FILE PHOTO

Eleven children in Antipolo City, Rizal, were hospitalized after eating the fruits of a tuba-tuba plant, Radyo Inquirer 990AM reported Wednesday.

The report said four of the 11 victims are confined at the Amang Rodriguez Memorial Medical Center in Marikina City while the others are being treated at the Rizal General Hospital in Rizal. All of the children are now in stable condition.

Around 11 a.m. on Tuesday, the children ate the fruits of a tuba-tuba plant (Jatropha curcas), which were given away by one of their playmates.

The children, who are between five to 11 years old, started experiencing headache, stomach pains, vomiting and diarrhea hours later. They were rushed to the hospital around 8 p.m. on Tuesday.

It was confirmed that they were poisoned by the tuba-tuba fruits.

Tuba-tuba or tubang bakod is primarily cultivated in the Philippines for its seed oil, which is a raw material for candles, soap, varnish, and lamp oil. It has been known as a substitute for diesel oil.

The sap, wood, oil and leaves of the plant are used in herbal medicine to treat wounds, rheumatism, skin diseases and stomach ache. Its boiled roots and leaves have also been used to treat diarrhea. KS/TVJ

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