Local authorities in Santo Tomas town in Davao del Norte have declared a diarrhea outbreak following the death of one resident and 47 others were confined at the hospital on Friday.
Records by the Municipal Health Office (MHO) showed that 171 people in Barangay Tulalian in said town were diagnosed with Acute Diarrhea Secondary to Amoebiasis.
Town Mayor Ernesto Evangelista has quickly dispatched two doctors and eight nurses in said barangay to assist and provide health and sanitation services to the affected residents.
He said the local government has immediately provided potable water to affected areas to ensure the outbreak would not escalate.
MHO administrator Charlemagne Fernandez said that based on the initial findings of the investigation the water system source in the area was possibly contaminated because of the water’s poor quality due to poor chlorine disinfection that caused the outbreak.
Such finding was based on the ocular inspection conducted by the Sanitation Team and random interviews with the Tulalian Water Association (TUWASA) personnel, he said.
Fernandez, however, said the result of the initial probe is not yet conclusive as the official result of the microbiological water analysis is expected to be released on Monday.
Apart from this, Fernandez said the MHO was also waiting for the results of the 15 patients who were subjected to rectal swabbing that would help them determine the bacteria in the patients’ feces.
The incidents were first reported on Wednesday (July 14) after three residents sought medical help in the MHO after they complained of experiencing loose bowel movement, stomach pain and vomiting, the usual symptoms of diarrhea.
This prompted the MHO to respond immediately and visited the barangay and found out that other residents reportedly fell ill with suspected diarrhea.
As early as Thursday, the MHO had assisted the patients who fell ill as some were recommended for admissions in hospitals for treatment.
Municipal administrator Lawyer Elisa Evangelista-Lapiña urged Tulalian Barangay officials to sit down with TUWASA to discuss how to improve the water supply in the barangay to avoid future outbreaks.
She said the LGU is readily available to guide and improve water services delivery in the area.
