Earthquake victims in Makilala town, North Cotabato complained of abdominal pains and vomiting after they ate pastil for lunch on Monday, November 4, 2019. | Photo grabbed from the Facebook page of Zia Alonto Adiong
CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philippines- Doctors treated some 40 earthquake victims after they complained of abdominal pains and vomiting after eating food donated from good Samaritans Monday night, November 4, 2019.
Dr. Alijandrito Descaller, head of the Lanao del Sur Integrated Provincial Health Office, said the victims were from the evacuation camps in Makilala town, North Cotabato.
He said it was timely that they have set up tents at the Makilala park for their medical mission for the quake victims.
“Sudenly our tents were filled with patients complaining of food poisoning. Many were vomiting or sick with abdominal pain,” Descaller said.
When they asked the victims, Descaller said all of them suspected it was “pastil”, a meal of rice, eggs and beef meat, given to them by a passing Samaritan as the culprit that caused the poisoning.
The Lanao del Sur Provincial Government sent a team of doctors and nurses to Makilala town, the hardest hit area of the earth, to assist in giving medical care to the victims.
Descaller said the patients told him the meal was already “smelly” or having an “odd odor.”
“They were hungry and have not eaten lunch so they decided to eat the meal,” he said.
Descaller said some of the patients with worse conditions were sent to hospitals in the nearby Kidapawan City Monday night.
He described the health conditions in the earthquake-devastated areas in North Cotabato as one of the worst he has seen.
“Many of the evacuation centers have only tarp for shelter and most of them do not have latrines,” Descaller said.
Descaller said rescue officials have a hard time sending earth-moving equipment to satisfy the demand for latrines.
He said the lack of latrines posed a potential health risks to thousands of quake victims in the evacuation centers. / dcb
More photos below grabbed from the Facebook page of Zia Alonto Adiong:
