MANGALDAN, Pangasinan – At least 31 students participating in a youth camp here were treated for food poisoning on Wednesday (April 20), a health official said on Thursday.
Dr. Ophelia Rivera, the town’s health officer, said the victims complained of stomach pains, diarrhea and vomiting, hours after a welcome dinner consisting of kalderata (a dish of meat and tomato sauce), lechon (roasted pig) and pansit (noodles).
“Some of them were taken to our urgent care clinic here on Wednesday and one of them is still at the Pangasinan Provincial Hospital,” Rivera said.
The Catholic Church’s four-day archdiocesan youth camp at Barangay Salay here has more than 1,600 participants coming from the different parishes under the Lingayen-Dagupan archdiocese.
Rivera said all the participants ate the same food, which were distributed to each delegation in packs.
“The food was ready at 6 p.m. But some of them ate at 7 p.m., 8 p.m., and even past 9 p.m. With the hot weather that we have now, the food might have become spoiled fast,” Rivera said.
On Wednesday, medical teams from the rural health unit here, provincial health office and the Department of Health inspected the camp site and reminded the participants about proper food preparation and hand washing.
“There were others who felt stomach pains but chose not to seek medical help,” Rivera said. SFM