According to the organisers of the festival, which is one of the top three biggest yearly musical events in Portugal, a common cause has not yet been established between the cases, but the problem was quickly brought under control.
Between 130 and 150 people are believed to have suffered from the nasty indisposition, which involves vomiting and diarrhoea, and were seen by local Alto do Minho health services throughout the course of Friday night and Saturday.
“There is no reason for alarm and the cases are not serious,” Rui Escaleira, head of the unit’s Emergency services, said in a press conference held at the festival, where some 15,000 people were camping out.
Speaking to newspaper Público, Elisabete Moure, Public Relations for the organisers of the Paredes de Coura festival, said the affected festival-goers started to seek medical care from 9pm Friday night, but the vast majority ended up returning to the festival.
According to Público, the source of the problem is being investigated by a team of public health workers and the possibility of it having been caused by food poisoning or water that was unfit for human consumption has not been ruled out.
Water from local springs and a river was being examined, as were the festival’s food providers.
The organisation stressed that pinpointing the origin of the breakout will not be an easy task “as there is no pattern in age, origin or consumption of foods and beverages, and the symptoms are common to many possible causes.”