by Alyosha J. Robillos, CNN Philippines
Following a food poisoning outbreak caused by durian candies over the weekend, the Caraga office of the Department of Health (DOH-Caraga) sent samples of patients’ bodily fluids to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) on Monday (June 13).
According to DOH-Caraga Regional Director Dr. Jose Llacuna, his office collected vomitus, rectal swabs, and blood samples from the patients and sent these to the RITM via courier for further analysis.Results from the RITM may help in the DOH investigation on the matter.
Earlier, DOH-Caraga also sent candy samples to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for testing. “We sent samples of the candy properly collected with all the affidavits and sent them to FDA Tagum,” said Llacuna in an interview with CNN Philippines on Monday (July 13).
The FDA, on the other hand, confirmed on the same day that it was in the process of conducting microbial tests on the candy samples. Results are set to be released July 15 (Wednesday).
Food safety advisory
Meanwhile, Llacuna advised the public to refrain from buying candy or any other food from unfamiliar sources. He explained that some vendors also repackage legally manufactured food items, contaminating them in the process.
“Many of these ambulant vendors were able to go into schools, where they were able to sell these at a low cost,” Llacuna added. This prompted the DOH to issue a reminder to school administrators: Only vendors who have written approval or authority from the FDA or the DOH should be allowed to sell food inside schools.
What happened?
Last Saturday (July 11), the Caraga region was put under Code White, or heightened alert, in reaction to a report that 1,665 individuals were suffering from symptoms that pointed to food poisoning.
“It started in Surigao del Sur, expanding into the two neighboring provinces Agusan del Sur and Surigao del Norte,” Llacuna said. With the help of personnel of various hospitals in the region, teams deployed by the DOH provided medical care for patients who were suffering from dehydration.
By Sunday afternoon (July 12), most of the patients had been discharged — with only 66 patients remaining in hospitals. A suspension order against the manufacturer of Wendy’s Durian Candy in Ma-a, Davao City was also issued on Sunday by Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte.
Regional police, meanwhile, have also acted on the matter. According to Senior Supt. Narciso Verdadero, chief of the Surigao del Sur Provincial Police Office, nine ambulant vendors have already been arrested in several areas of Surigao del Sur.
The DOH, on the other hand, will continue to coordinate with the National Police and concerned government agencies in monitoring the case.
Source: CNN Philippines