‘Hamonado’ blamed for illness of 101 Iloilo pupils, mostly 5 to 6 years old

Update

ILOILO CITY — ‘Hamonado’ served for lunch on Sunday downed some 101 students from the Abong Elementary School in Carles town in Iloilo province.

Dr. Ma. Soccoro Quiñon, the Iloilo assistant provincial health officer, said the pupils aged five to six years old were brought to health facilities in Carles and Balasan towns because of suspected food poisoning.

Carles town is located 120 kilometers away from Iloilo City while Balasan is 125.5 kilometers away.

Quoting information from Carles Municipal Health Officer Roland Betita, Quinon said 28 children were brought to the Carles Rural Health Unit for check-up.

Sixty-nine other children were brought to the Colmenares Memorial Hospital in Malbog in Balasan town for check up while four others were admitted at the hospital after they suffered from dehydration and started to become weak.

Chief Insp. Terrence Sta. Ana, head of the Carles Municipal Police Station, said the children complained of stomach pains, diarrhea and dizziness after eating ‘hamonado’ served for lunch in a feeding program organized by Save the Children, a non-government organization.

A total of 160 pupils shared the free lunch.

“We talked to the Municipal Health Officer and there is no (more) available hamonado so tomorrow (Tuesday) we will get rectal swab from the admitted patients for test and confirmation at Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM),” Quiñon said on Monday.  SFM