Health office warns public to avoid aloy as illness cases rise

By Mariela Angella Oladive

The Iloilo Provincial Health Office has urged the public to temporarily avoid buying and consuming aloy, or tulingan, after 20 foodborne illness cases were linked to its consumption.

The advisory was issued as health officials continue tracing the source of the cases and implementing response measures.

“While the investigation is ongoing and response measures are being implemented, we are asking the public to temporarily refrain from buying and consuming aloy or tulingan, as these may have come from the same batch that caused symptoms among patients,” said Dr. Rodney Labis, head of the IPHO Health Service Delivery Division, in a statement issued Tuesday, April 8.

Based on IPHO data, 19 of the 20 patients are Iloilo residents, while one is a nonresident.

The affected areas were Passi City, with six cases; Dumangas, Banate, Balasan and San Enrique, with three cases each; and Dueñas and Mina, with one case each.

The cases were recorded from April 6 to 7, with symptoms developing shortly after the patients consumed aloy.

Some of the fish were reportedly bought from roving motorcycle vendors.

Dr. Labis said the illnesses may have been caused by scombroid fish poisoning, which occurs when fish is not stored properly at temperatures below 4 degrees Celsius immediately after being caught, allowing histamine levels to build up and trigger allergy-like symptoms.

Common symptoms include skin rashes and itching, dizziness, headache, nausea, diarrhea, difficulty breathing, chest tightness and palpitations.

Dr. Labis advised people experiencing symptoms to seek immediate medical attention.

He said the illness is preventable through proper handling and storage of fish and urged consumers to make sure fish products are fresh and properly chilled.

Health authorities say suspected scombroid poisoning can develop within minutes to hours after contaminated fish is eaten, and the histamine that causes the reaction is heat-stable, meaning cooking may not make the fish safe. (NCBI)

Similar fish-related illness alerts were also reported elsewhere in Western Visayas and Negros Occidental, including Cadiz City, where local authorities issued a public advisory after dozens of residents reported symptoms after eating aloy or tulingan. (Philippine News Agency)

Brief explanation: I tightened repetitive phrases, standardized AP style for dates and place names, corrected “foodborne illness” usage, improved case distribution formatting, and added concise background on suspected scombroid poisoning for context.