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Friday, March 11, 2005
Cyanide eyed in Bohol food deaths
CEBU CITY -- President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo flew to Mabini, Bohol Thursday morning and declared the town under a state of calamity, following the deaths of 28 children due to food poisoning.
At least 109 others are being treated in Tagbilaran City and the towns of Ubay and Talibon.
Dr. Winifredo Liao, Mabini's municipal health officer, suspects cyanide in the cassava snacks poisoned the kids.
"Survivors told me the fritters and other cassava snacks were bitter, so they passed the food on to their classmates," said Liao. A bitter taste indicates high levels of cyanide, he added.
At least 18 of the young victims were buried at 2 p.m. Thursday. Dr. Liao said he was still trying to convince other families to allow immediate burial.
But he also denied initial reports that vendor Anna Luyong used cooking oil stored in a plastic gallon that previously contained pesticide, or that rat poison pellets littered Luyong's store.
Aside from getting poisoned herself, Luyong also lost three grandchildren.
Outpouring
Still, she will have to face criminal charges once she leaves the hospital, said SPO4 Ernesto Abueva, Mabini police investigator.
As the town grieved for its dead, assistance from different sources poured in and health officials struggled to find out what caused the tragedy.
A team of toxicologists from the UP-PGH Poison Center led by Dr. Betty Antonio and another from the Department of Health (DOH) 7 led by Dr. Angelita Salarda flew to Bohol Thursday to investigate, on orders of Health Secretary Manuel Dayrit.
The Bohol Provincial Government assured P5,000 and a sack of rice for each family that lost a child. The National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) pledged P10,000 each.
Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia set aside P330,000 from the province's calamity fund, which will be coursed through Bohol's officials.
Social Welfare Secretary Dinky Soliman, in a dyLA interview, assured hospitalization assistance of P5,000 to P8,000 for each of those still undergoing treatment.
Exhausted
DOH Regional Director Dr. Rosario Marilyn Benabaye and Director Angel Gaviola of the Regional Disaster Coordinating Council also visited Bohol to check on the victims.
The tragedy has strained resources of the hospitals and clinics treating the victims. After working straight for more than 24 hours, nurses and other hospital workers are exhausted.
Some relief may come from teams from out of town, bearing badly needed supplies like rehydration fluids and medicine.
But apart from the cyanide content in cassava, health officials are also checking the possibility that fertilizers may have accidentally been mixed with the snacks.
Dr. Salarda, in a radio interview, said the victims' nausea, stomachache, vomiting and dehydration were not consistent with cyanide poisoning.
The team is looking at the possibility of organo-phosphate food poisoning and has taken blood samples, as well as bits of the cassava fritters, for lab tests. (AIV/JST/With MBG)
| Post your experiences to the Sun.Star Graduation section. Click here. | 2005-02-24 04:52:02
mcalvo - My graduation was unforgettable to me and to my classmates. I was so drunk the night before graduation. During the ceremony i dozed to the point of snooring even when i was already standing i was half sleeping. Our dean has to call my name twice and the person behind me has to push me just to wake me up... graduations are memorable...enjoy and congratulations to all graduates!
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(March 11, 2005 issue)
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