Students recover from feeding program illness in Pampanga; probe continues

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga – All students who fell ill during a feeding program at Maimpis Integrated High School last Friday are now safe and have been discharged from hospitals, the City Health Office (CHO) confirmed over the weekend.

In its official report posted online, the health office said the 119 students referred for medical care at GreenCity Medical Center – including two initially taken to Ricardo P. Rodriguez District Hospital with poisoning symptoms – have already been declared safe.

“All affected students were promptly given medical attention and remain safe,” the CHO said, adding that coordination between health teams, GreenCity Medical Center, and local officials was smooth under the direction of City Mayor Vilma Balle-Caluag.

Last Friday, a total of 381 Grade 7 to Grade 10 students joined the feeding program sponsored by [text incomplete]. However, 119 suffered from symptoms of vomiting, nausea, body weakness, and headache.

The CHO said response teams were immediately mobilized after students began showing symptoms of illness. Students were given first aid on-site before being transported to hospitals using barangay service vehicles.

They also underwent triage, vital signs checks, necessary laboratory examinations, and received appropriate medication and monitoring at the hospitals.

The health office said the Environmental Health and Sanitation Division (EHSD) had inspected the food preparation and distribution area, and has sent samples to the Department of Health (DOH) for analysis.

The City Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (CESU) is also conducting case investigations, with support from the Provincial Health Office (PHO), Provincial Epidemiology and Disease Surveillance Unit (PESU), and DOH-Central Luzon Center for Health Development.