TO PREVENT FOOD-RELATED DISEASE Teno presses for active campaign

Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio has ordered continuous public health campaign on the islands to raise awareness on food poisoning following the recent incident at a wedding reception that downed nearly 100 guests.

He said he has asked the Department of Public Health to intensify its education campaign to prevent the incident from happening again.
The governor earlier has banned entry of raw, pre-cooked or cooked food, especially seafood products, from the Federated States of Micronesia, where a cholera outbreak has been reported.

While DPH has yet to release findings on the June 18 incident at the reception held for Nena-Taisacan wedding at the Saipan Grand Hotel, officials believed the food poisoning was caused by seafood from FSM brought into the hotel by the couple’s family.

The indefinite ban, which Mr. Tenorio said will stay until DPH clears FSM of any potential contamination to the Commonwealth, is the government’s immediate reaction to the incident.

“The public health campaign will continue to educate our people on how to prevent food poisoning,” he told in interview Friday after attending the swearing in of new Supreme Court Justice John A. Manglona.

In line with the ban, the governor also issued fresh instructions to the department to alert the public on the reported cholera outbreak in the neighboring islands.

Last month, Public Health Sec. Joseph Kevin Villagomez advised travelers to FSM, particularly to Pohnpei, to take precautionary measures to prevent the virus from spreading in the Commonwealth.

A list of preventative measures from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia has been going around in government offices and media services to ensure that the information is disseminated to the public.

Quarantine personnel at all air and sea ports have all been mobilized to guard against the entry of these food items, warning those who violate the ban will face confiscation of the cargo and payment of fees for incineration.

Meanwhile, Marianas Visitor Authority Executive Director Perry Tenorio dismissed the effects of the recent poisoning to the tourism industry, saying that the incident was an isolated case.

“The media should be careful on reporting about the food poisoning. This is an isolated case and it’s very clear that the food was not prepared by the hotel,” he said in an interview.

According to Mr. Tenorio, the CNMI remains a safe destination for visitors, as he pointed out the excellent preparation of food by hotels.