Bad siomai downs 34 in Muntinlupa

Thirty-four pupils of a public elementary school in Muntinlupa City were hospitalized after eating allegedly spoiled siomai (steamed dumpling) Friday afternoon.

Dr. Juancho Bunyi, new chief of the Muntinlupa Health Office, said that the food poisoning incident happened at Alabang Elementary School in Alabang.

Bunyi said the pupils were served siomai in their classroom by the school canteen during the afternoon recess.

After eating the dumplings, the pupils showed symptoms of food poisoning, including abdominal pain, vomiting, and nausea and were rushed to two medical facilities by 5 p.m.

Bunyi said 17 students were taken to the Alabang Medical Clinic and 17 were treated at the Ospital ng Muntinlupa. Of the total patients, only two were confined at Alabang Medical Clinic and the rest were already discharged.

Siomai samples were sent to the Food and Drug Administration and stool samples were sent to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine both in Muntinlupa for laboratory tests.

“We already coordinated with the principal of Alabang Elementary School. The school is willing to shoulder all the expenses of the students,” he said.

Last month, 150 residents of Southville 3 Housing Project in Poblacion, Muntinlupa were hospitalized due to food poisoning after eating food served during a feeding program.