BY GLENDA TAYONA
ILOILO City – The City Health Office (CHO) on Tuesday declared an outbreak of acute gastroenteritis and cholera. It recorded 90 cases with four deaths from July 26 to Aug. 28.
Following the declaration, the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CDRRMC) passed a resolution recommending to the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) to place the metro under a state of calamity due to the two food and waterborne diseases.
Acute gastroenteritis is a disease that occurs when food or water that is contaminated with pathogenic microorganisms (such as E. coli, among others) or their toxins is consumed. Some of its symptoms are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, occasional muscle aches or headache, and low-grade fever.
On the other hand, cholera is an infectious disease that causes severe watery diarrhea, which can lead to dehydration and even death if untreated.
It is caused by eating food or drinking water contaminated with a bacterium called Vibrio cholera.
Data from CHO’s City Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (CESU) showed three of the 90 cases were confirmed cholera but have already recovered. As of this writing, there are 18 cases of acute gastroenteritis still confined in hospitals.
As of Aug. 28, 31 barangays in the city recorded cases of acute gastroenteritis.
CHO officer-in-charge Dr. Anabelle Tang said this is the first time in five years that the city logged cases of cholera.
Meantime, the four reported deaths due to acute gastroenteritis were an eight-year-old female from Barangay Calumpang, Molo district; a two-year-old boy from Barangay Rizal Pala-pala 1, City Proper; four-month-old baby girl from Barangay Tanza Timawa 2, City Proper; and 31-year-old male from Barangay Jibao-an Norte, Mandurriao.
Clustering of cases was also noted in barangays mostly in the City Proper.
The Tanza district health center in the City Proper recorded the highest number of acute gastroenteritis cases at 35; Molo with 18; Sto. Rosario health center with 15; La Paz, seven; Mandurriao, six; Arevalo, five; and Lapuz, three.
CONTAMINATED
According to CESU head Dr. Marigold Calsas, the CHO team together with the District Health Centers conducted field/site investigation, performed active case finding, rectal swabs were taken, and water sample analysis was done by sanitary inspectors.
“We found out sang ila situation sa ila balay. There was really a mix of contaminated water with human or animal waste…Ang ila sitwasyon is miserable. Ang ila ginagamit nga tubig contaminated (but) they still uses it to bathes. Amo nga damu naapektuhan,” Calsas said, referring to the situation of the family of a four-month-old fatality from Barangay Tanza Timawa 2.
Based on the bacterial test results of the water samples from all water sources conducted by the city from Aug. 26 to 27, 22 deep wells and tube wells (tasok) and 17 tap water sources (Nawasa), refilling stations, vendors, and bathhouses were contaminated with coliform bacteria, while 14 deep wells and tube wells (tasok) and 12 tap water sources (Nawasa), refilling stations, water vendors, and bathhouses tested positive for e. Coli bacteria.
These water sources are specifically located in barangays Rizal Pala-Pal II, Maria Clara, Esparanza, Rizal Ibarra, and Tanza Timawa II, Tanza Baybay, Rima Rizal, Fuentes all in City Proper and Barangay Taal in Molo.
Also found positive for coliform bacteria was the water sample from two canteens of a university in the City Proper.
According to Calsas, the city government has already coordinated with City Engineer’s Office for the and Metro Pacific Water for the provision of clean and safe water, aside from the bottled water distributed by the city government to the affected residents.
STATE OF CALAMITY
Mayor Jerry Treñas requested the SP to hold a special session on Sept. 1 to approve the declaration of a state of calamity.
He called for the special emergency meeting of CDRRMC yesterday to discuss the situation, implement appropriate responses and allocate the necessary budget.
Some P12-million from the city’s Quick Response Fund has been identified for medical personnel, supplies, medicines, fuel, and other maintenance and operating expenses.
Treñas said the city’s modular hospital will be temporarily utilized as hydration unit for mild cases of AGE.
The CHO has been advising the city residents to boil their drinking water for two minutes to effectively kill pathogenic organisms.
DO-IT-YOURSELF DISINFECTION
The Department of Health (DOH) in Western Visayas has recommended the use of chlorinated water for household use such for bathing and dishwashing.
DOH-6 Environmental and Occupational Health Section Engr. III Jomer Fayo, with the help of CHO and barangay health workers, will teach households how to make stock solution for disinfection (one tablespoon of chlorine powder mixed with one liter of water).
After mixing/shaking, get two tablespoon of stock solution and mix it with 20 liters of water. After 15 minutes it can already be used for washing utensils and for bathing.
“Kon may chlorine na sya, mapatay gid ya ang bacteria,” said Fayo.
Fayo explained that wells, especially if shallow, are prone to contamination especially if near the source of the contamination such as septic tanks and canals.
Fayo said deep wells or any water sources are advised to be situated at least 25 meters away from any source of the contamination to avoid contamination./PN
