BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL G. BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – The provincial health officer of Negros Occidental advised municipal and city health offices to also check restaurants and street food vendors to prevent more cholera outbreaks.
According to Dr. Ernell Tumimbang, chief of the Provincial Health Office (PHO), the local health offices are the ones issuing permits to the kitchen staff of restaurants and eateries.
Staff in kitchen duties must have the relevant sanitation permits, said Tumimbang. Restaurants and eateries cannot operate without them.
When asked about roving street food vendors, he said they too must be strictly monitored by local health offices.
To avert cholera and other water-borne or food-borne illnesses, Tumimbang also said water being used to wash meat and vegetables should be clean, and proper hand washing must be observed prior to food preparation.
The PHO head also said eating raw food is dangerous.
As of Monday morning, Oct. 3, the number of cholera cases in Negros Occidental remained at seven, with one confirmed fatality, PHO said./PN
