Food poisoning downs 11 high school students from Asturias town

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Eleven female students of the Manguiao National High School in Barangay Manguiao, Asturias town in midwestern Cebu were rushed to their town’s infirmary clinic at around 7 p.m. on Saturday, October 5,  after they were believed to have suffered from food poisoning.

Police Staff Sergeant Bendie Nuñez, desk officer of the Asturias Police Station, said that the girls complained of severe stomach pain after they ate fried rice and pork guisado for lunch.

But eight of the 11 high school students were already discharged from the government-run infirmary clinic this morning, October 6.  Only three of them have remained admitted for further observation as of 11 a.m. today, October 6, says Nuñez.

Quoting the outcome of their initial investigation, Nuñez said that the students were attending a three-day camping which started on Friday, October 4.

Nuñez said that the girls prepared fried rice for lunch on Saturday using the excess from the rice which they cooked on Friday yet.

“Na pan-os na siguro,” Nuñez told CDN Digital.

(The rice which they fried may have already been spoiled.)

Nuñez said that the students started to complain of severe stomach pain starting at around 4 p.m. on Saturday. They were rushed to the Asturias infirmary clinic at 7 p.m.

During their checkup, the students were found to have suffered from acute gastritis secondary to food poisoning. / dcb