The flood victims from Barangay Tandang Sora, Esperanza, Agusan del Sur being attended at the local hospital after getting sick following the Philippine Red Cross food outreach program Monday evening, 19 February 2024. Photo courtesy of Municipal Information Office of Esperanza, Agusan del Sur
SAN FRANCISCO, Agusan del Sur (MindaNews / 20 February) – At least 216 residents in remote Barangay Tandang Sora, Esperanza town of this province, who were affected by floods, fell ill after eating dinner provided by the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) Monday evening.
In a press conference Tuesday morning, Dr. Maria Theresa Labiao, Esperanza municipal health officer, said all the patients who suffered vomiting, stomachache, and diarrhea have shown improvement after receiving immediate medication at the Esperanza Medicare Community Hospital (EMCH), where most of the victims were promptly rushed.
Dr. Jaqueline Momville, Agusan del Sur provincial health officer, said they could not yet determine whether it was the food or drinking water that caused the poisoning until the laboratory results are released by the health surveillance unit and the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine.
The victims were served chicken liver adobo, boiled egg and rice by the volunteer staff and cooks of the PRC Agusan del Sur Chapter, and about three hours later, some started experiencing stomach pains, prompting barangay health workers to report to Labiao.
Within an hour, they were rushed to the EMCH and immediately administered with intravenous fluids and other medicines to prevent dehydration.
Most of the victims are toddlers and elderly persons, constituting part of the 1,000 residents served with food cooked from the food trucks sent by the PRC national office under the “Hot Meals on Wheels” program to aid flood victims.
Esperanza Mayor Deo Manpatilan Jr. said the victims from Barangay Tandang Sora were among the 7,000 flood-affected residents served by the PRC feeding initiatives.
“Nothing happened to the earlier recipients,” he added.
Darwina Ligan, head of PRC Agusan del Sur Chapter, said they cannot yet confirm if it was the food they served or the water they drank from faucets from the barangay water system that caused the mass poisoning.
“Doctors are still collecting stool samples from the victims for laboratory testing,” Ligan stated.
Dr. Labiao said they will collect water samples for testing because some portions of the barangay water system were submerged in flood waters.
Before leaving the EMCH at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Ligan observed that most of the victims were already in stable condition.
Four food trucks were sent by PRC head Richard Gordon to the flood-stricken victims in Agusan del Sur, each accompanied by five student volunteers, who served as servers, and two cooks.
“The team in Tandang Sora also ate the food and did not get sick,” Ligan added.
Dr. Labiao said that barangay health workers were the first responders, medicating the initial five patients and immediately contacting the Municipal Health Office and the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office to respond to the situation.
Mayor Manpatilan assured that the discharged patients would be provided with hygiene kits, food, and non-food items to support them until the floodwaters subside to normal levels. (Chris V. Panganiban / MindaNews)
