AFTER FOOD POISONING Teno bans food from FSM

Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio yesterday ordered an indefinite ban on the importation of raw or cooked food, including sea produce, coming from the Federated States of Micronesia in the wake of food poisoning at a wedding reception held at the Saipan Grand Hotel.

Department of Public Health officials, however, remained mum on their investigation into the incident that took place Saturday evening and downed guests reportedly at the reception for Nena-Taisacan wedding.

A two-page statement issued by the Governor’s Office indicated that the number of victims has reached more than 90 people who were rushed to the Commonwealth Health Center suffering from diarrhea, vomiting and cramps hours after the party ended.

“Public health officials suspected that the culprit may have been seafood imported for a wedding reception. Public Health has been making 24-hours a day efforts to determine, treat and eliminate the cause of the disease,” said the statement.

The governor was briefed on the findings of the probe which took place immediately after the victims started arriving at the hospital.

He disclosed to reporters that the government will seek second opinion on the result of the tests, either in a laboratory on Guam or Hawaii, to determine exactly what triggered the food poisoning.

Hospital officials have declined to reveal the circumstances surrounding the weekend incident or the exact number of people who have required treatment, saying only that the investigation will continue.

They also refused to say whether guests from the other wedding reception held at the same time in the same hotel, the Ayuyu-Kapileo nuptial, were also treated at CHC. The statement from Capitol Hill also did not identify which reception, other than saying that imported seafood may have caused the poisoning.

Public warning

But Mr. Tenorio yesterday issued fresh instruction to DPH to alert the public of a reported cholera outbreak in FSM, particularly in the state of Pohnpei.

He ordered the department to immediately take all precautionary measures to safeguard CNMI residents from outbreak of food and water borne diseases here.

Earlier, Public Health Sec. Joseph Kevin Villagomez has advised travelers going to FSM to observe these measures following the outbreak in that area.

“The Governor has instructed that all raw or cooked or precooked food including seafood importation from the FSM be restricted immediately until further notice,” read the statement. “He also discourages travel to and from these islands.”

Those going to FSM are advised to take the following precautionary measures as recommended by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia and the CNMI Division of Public Health:

– Drink only water that you have boiled or treated with chlorine or iodine. Other safe beverages including tea and coffee made with boiled water and carbonated, bottled beverages with no ice

– Eat only food that have been thoroughly cooked and are still hot, or fruit that you have peeled yourself

– Avoid undercooked or raw fish or shellfish

– Make sure all vegetables are cooked and avoid salads

– Avoid food and beverages from street vendors

– Do not bring perishable seafood to the CNMI

Lone fatality

Relatives of guests downed by the food poisoning, including the lone fatality Guillermo M. Benavente who was a sponsor at the Nena-Taisacan wedding, spoke of the events following the reception.

Mr. Benavente woke up at 4:00 am. last Sunday to go to the toilet at his home, complaining of stomach cramps, a close relative said. At around 6:00 a.m., his wife Andresina was trying to wake him up to go to church, but he did not move.

Frantic relatives then called up 911, while another was attempting to revive him. He was pronounced dead when the ambulance reached the house in As Lito. His wife also experienced symptoms of food poisoning and was treated at the hospital, the relative said.

Last Sunday, doctors at CHC could not say if Mr. Benavente’s death from a stroke was related to the food poisoning as unconfirmed reports surfaced that other guests from the other reception were also treated in the hospital.

Reception food

Five waiters of the Saipan Grand Hotel on duty during the Nena-Taisacan reception were also downed, two of whom had suffered so severe that they had to be given dextrose because they apparently ate a lot of the crabs served at the party, another source said.

They had tasted the crabs brought in by the families of the couple to make sure that the food to be served was still fine. The source said that when the crabs were brought to the hotel, they already reeked of unpleasant smell and the meat did not look good.

The crabs, contained in two huge food containers, were immediately devoured by guests, the source said.

But there were others who did not partake of the seafood but were treated for the poisoning. Sources believed that it could have been caused by a local dessert — taro cooked in coconut milk — that the Nena-Taisacan families also brought in to the hotel.

Relatives of the couple said the bride, Elizabeth Taisacan, was among the first rushed to the hospital after feeling sick hours after the reception. His groom, Ronald Nena who also felt sick but recovered immediately, brought her there.

Public Health Assistant Sec. David Rosario on Sunday said health inspectors were sent to the residence of Taisacan and Nena families to find out more about the food they served at the reception, which aside from the two, also included sashimi or raw fish.

Some hotel staff were also interviewed and samples of the food prepared by Saipan Grand such as fish and roasted pig were taken for laboratory analysis. Hotel management has so far kept silent on the incident since the case is still under investigation. (with reports from Lindablue F. Romero)