47 fall ill after party in Iloilo town; food poisoning suspected

ILOILO CITY, Philippines – Forty seven party goers were hospitalized in Sta. Barbara town in Iloilo Province in a latest case of possible food poisoning.

The municipal health officer, Dr. Gemma Monserate, confirmed that 47 people got sick Monday morning after they attended a birthday party at the house of the Lagunday family in Brgy. San Sebastian in Sta. Barbara.  The party goers suffered stomach ache, fever, vomiting and diarrhea around 11:30 a.m. Monday, barely two hours after they ate spaghetti, salad, pancit, valenciana, chicken drum stick and stew. Forty-five patients remained confined at the Western Visayas Sanitarium Hospital in Sta. Barabara and were still under observation, as of Tuesday, while two were discharged from the hospital.

Eleseo Lagunday, the father of the unnamed birthday celebrant, confirmed that all of the patients partook of the valenciana and pancit.

Lagunday said those who did not eat valenciana and pancit were spared from poisoning. He added his family prepared the food, except the chicken drumstick.

Han Soyen Somogod, the sanitation inspector of Sta. Barabara said they would send food samples to the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) for laboratory tests. They will also inspect the suppliers of the ingredients used in the food served by the Lagunday family.

This would be the fourth case of food poisoning in the province of Iloilo in the past two months. In July, nine pupils from the municipality of Oton were hospitalized after consuming jelly roll cakes.  Six pupils were also hospitalized in the town of Pavia after eating chocolate candy last July. In another case, 105 guests also suffered food poisoning after attending a wedding reception in Estancia town a month ago. Joel Franco, Inquirer Visayas