No deaths among hospitalized in Antique foul odor incident – DOH

The Department of Health (DOH) on Wednesday said there were no fatalities reported over the foul odor incident in a high school in Antique.(PNA photo by Annabel Consuelo J. Petinglay)

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) on Wednesday said there were no fatalities reported among the learners hospitalized after complaining of a foul odor in a high school in Antique.

The DOH said that its Western Visayas Center for Health Development is responding with the province of Antique to the incident where a foul odor was detected in a national high school in the province.

“There have been no casualties, and the priority now is to keep the situation that way,” the DOH said in a statement.

When asked by Inquirer.net to clarify whether the DOH meant that there were no fatalities reported, DOH spokesperson Dr. Albert Domingo replied in the affirmative.

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“More information will be provided as soon as possible, after we attend to the health and safety of affected students, teachers, and staff,” the DOH said in its statement.

The Province of Antique said that several students were rushed to the Ramon Maza Sr. Memorial District Hospital (RMSMDH) “after inhaling an unknown substance at Pis-anan National High School [PNHS].”

It added that “medical authorities are advising residential areas near Pis-anan National High School to stay vigilant.”

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In its recent Facebook post, the Province of Antique said that 100 patients were being treated at the Ramon Maza Sr. Memorial District Hospital as of 12:40 p.m. on Wednesday.

It added that 20 patients were transferred to the Angel Salazar Memorial General Hospital, while 37 were attended by medical responders at a triage set up at the Barangay Pis-anan gymnasium.

In an interview, PNHS teacher Mark Del Rosario said that students started complaining about a foul odor during their first period of class at past 7 a.m./coa