ILOILO – This province logged three probable cholera cases as of Friday, Sept. 2.
Dr. Maria Socorro Colmenares-Quiñon, head of the Iloilo Provincial Health Office (IPHO), confirmed to Panay News the three probable cases are from the towns of Oton, Pavia and San Joaquin, who all first presented with fever, then vomiting and loose bowel movement.
Here is the breakdown of the three probable cases:
* one-year-and-nine-month-old boy from Oton
* 21-year-old female from Pavia
* 26-year-old female from San Joaquin
The IPHO will send rectal swabs or specimen of the three probable cases to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) in Metro Manila for confirmatory tests.
Meanwhile, Oton mayor Sofronio Fusin Jr. confirmed to Panay News yesterday afternoon that there is indeed a probable cholera case of a one-year-and-nine-month-old boy from his town.
“Amo na ang ginhatag nga impormasyon sa akon, nga Vibrio cholera ini sia,” said Fusin.
The child, he said, manifested fever on Aug. 20. The family sought the help of the Municipal Health Office on Aug. 23.
Soon the child was vomiting and had loose bowel, and thus was referred to the Western Visayas Medical Center in Mandurriao, Iloilo City.
As of this writing, Fusin was still determining whether the child was still confined in the hospital or was already discharged.
From what the local authorities so far gathered, the family vacationed in Guimbal, Iloilo from Aug. 16 to 19 and on Aug. 20 dined at a restaurant in Iloilo City where the child drank service water.
Investigation further showed that the family’s primary source of water is deep well.
As a preventive measure, the local government unit chlorinated the well that is being shared by seven families.
PROV’L GOV’T WATCHES FOR CHOLERA
Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. assures Ilonggos that the Iloilo Provincial Health Office (IPHO) is closely monitoring the situation.
Cholera can be avoided through practicing good hygiene and sanitation, he stressed.
This is also the reason why the provincial government aimed to achieve zero open defecation (ZOD), he added.
All 1,721 barangays of the province have been certified ZOD. All households have their own sanitary toilets or they share toilets.
Defensor said ensuring that human wastes are properly disposed, thereby preventing possible contamination of water sources, also prevents cholera.
“It’s about cleanliness sa aton kalawasan kag aton panimalay. Indi na sia malapta kon malimpyu kita,” said Defensor.
Cholera is an acute intestinal infection caused by ingestion on food or water contaminated with Vibrio cholera. It has a short incubation period from less than one to five days.
The bacterium produces an enterotoxin that causes copious, painless, water diarrhea that can quickly lead to severe dehydration and death if treatment is not promptly given.
Its signs and symptoms are the following:
* sudden onset of frequent painless watery stools
* vomiting
* rapid dehydration (e.g. sunken eyeballs, wrinkled and dry skin)./PN
