BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL G. BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – The number of confirmed and suspected cholera cases in Negros Occidental rose to 37, new data released by the Provincial Health Office (PHO) yesterday morning showed.
Talisay City has the most number of cholera cases at 11, followed by Silay City with nine, the town of E.B. Magalona with eight, and Victorias City with one case.
The town of Murcia, meanwhile, reported four suspected cases.
Cholera cases have also started to show up in other places outside of the 3rd District, with Bago City having three suspected cases while Sagay City reported one suspected case.
Other food- and water-borne diseases in the province are also rising, with 632 typhoid cases this year compared to 197 last year.
Among these diseases were acute viral hepatitis with 107 cases, acute bloody diarrhea with 72, and rotavirus with 10.
PHO head, Dr. Ernell Tumimbang, said they have advised local government units (LGUs) in the province to step up their monitoring, particularly on water sources.
In Talisay City, Tumimbang said, the Dos Hermanas village has the most confirmed cholera cases with four, followed by Zone 3 and Matab-ang.
Aside from water sources, he said they are now looking at the possibility that the cholera cases were being transmitted via food, pointing out that of the water samples they have taken, only one came back positive for cholera.
Tumimbang, however, pointed out that even if water samples came back negative for cholera, it doesn’t mean that the water is already considered safe, as it may still be contaminated with diarrhea-causing bacteria.
“When you are trying to establish food-borne transmission, it is very difficult to establish as there are no specimens available for gathering,” he explained.
He said the local health offices within the LGUs must be strict with regards to the sanitation permits they issue to local restaurants and eateries, pointing out they should be subjected to testing, particularly those located near schools.
“They should be monitored, the same gina-reiterate ta man ang mga water refilling stations nga dapat i-strict nila ang implementation,” he pointed out.
The PHO head added that sanitary inspectors should double their efforts, especially in villages with a high number of food- and water-borne diseases./PN
