11 tourists in Boracay rushed to hospital; contaminated food eyed

ILOILO CITY, Iloilo, Philippines — Nine tourists on Boracay Island were hospitalized and two more were treated on Wednesday, in what was suspected to be a case of food poisoning, the municipal health office of Malay town in Aklan said.

The nine tourists were confined at the Don Ciriaco Tirol Memorial Hospital on Wednesday after they vomited and complained of stomach pain and diarrhea, Dr. Adrian Salaver, Malay municipal health officer, said in a telephone interview on Thursday.

Two others were also taken to the hospital but were not confined. The nine, meanwhile, were discharged on Thursday.

Salaver said tests on stool samples from the tourists confirmed that they were infected with the Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria, which could be transmitted through contaminated food and beverage. He said patients usually recovered within a few hours from the start of a re-hydration treatment.

The tourists, all from Nueva Vizcaya, had told health personnel that they had oysters for dinner at a restaurant Tuesday evening and got sick the next day.

Salaver said they were unable to examine the oysters for contamination because these were already discarded by the restaurant.

The restaurant shouldered the medical expenses of the tourists, Salaver said.