By FREDDIE G. LAZARO

CAMP PRESIDENT QUIRINO, Bantay, Ilocos Sur—One person died ad 54 others were hospitalized due to food poisoning, according to health officials in Ilocos Sur.

The victims all came from seven sitios of two remote barangays in the upland town of Suyo, Ilocos Sur.

They are from sitios Tegteggamat, Baudan, Dadtuco, Banata, and Mantayao, all in Barangay Man-atong; and Sitios Kinapian and Indadangan – both in Barangay Suyo Proper, all in Suyo town.

Inspector Jovencio Urbien, the  town’s  police chief , reported on Wednesday that the lone fatality was identified as Dominguez Dapitan, 36, of sitio Dadtoco, Man-atong, Suyo.

Daptian died of dehydration due to loss of body fluid at 11 a.m. last October 28  after suffering from food poisoning.

After learning of the incident, Urbien joined the team of Mayor Elpidio Bistoyong and members of Suyo  Rural Health Unit  led by Dr. Mary Concepcion Sibucao that proceeded to the affected areas to investigate and render first aid treatment to the other victims.

Initially, the victims were reported to have suffered diarrhea.

A total of 29 patients are still confined at the Tagudin General Hospital and Capillary Center in Tagudin, Ilocos Sur, at presstime, while the others were treated in the RHU Clinic of Suyo town.

Dr. Eugene Dauz, head of the Tagudin General Hospital, theorized that the cause of the illness of the victims was food poisoning because all manifested similar symptoms.

“The presence of dehydration and weakening among the victims are simple symptoms of food poisoning. So, I instructed the head of the RHU in Suyo to gather samples of excreta from the victims fro the epidemiology examination to validate the real cause of food poisoning,” Dauz said.

Dauz disclosed that the Tagudin General Hospital started confining the victims since November 1 to date.

“I suspect that the food that the victims ate two days before November 1 caused their poisoning,” he said.

Dauz theorized the poisoning had gradual effect after the food was eaten by the victims.