LEGAZPI CITY—A woman died from diarrhea Tuesday, while an 11-year-old child succumbed to meningococcemia late Monday, both in Pioduran, Albay.
Meanwhile, close to 100 people were hospitalized due to a diarrhea outbreak that was traced to unsafe drinking water in the same area.
Criselda Imperial Atuli of Badian village, Pioduran town was reported to have died due to diarrhea, while her two children are still confined at Pioduran District Hospital.
The outbreak is not only in Pioduran but is also affecting the municipalities of Oas and Libon, authorities said. Oas Mayor Domingo Escoto is seeking assistance from the provincial government to contain the outbreak affecting far-flung villages of his town.
Escoto visited the diarrhea patients on Tuesday and told the residents of Cagmanaba and nearby villages to stop drinking water from deep wells. He added that the municipal government would start providing water and other medical assistance to the affected barangays.
“We need also the intervention and assistance of the provincial government to assist us because the incident is widespread and blown out of proportion,” he said.
On the other hand, the meningococcemia victim, a boy from Barangay Caratagan, Pioduran was buried immediately—in his parents’ absence—to contain the virus, according to board member Pem Arandia of Albay’s third district.
The parents of the child, according to Arandia, were in Metro Manila.
Contact tracing is being done by health authorities to provide necessary medicine.
Meningococcemia is an infection caused by the Neisseria meningitidis bacteria, the same type of bacteria that can cause meningitis.
In another development, the Iloilo City Health Office is urging the public not to take for granted possible signs of dengue and always immediately seek medical attention, as it recorded three deaths due to the disease in August.
CHO head Dr. Bernard Caspe on Wednesday said the deaths are among the city’s 187 dengue cases recorded since January, where two cases were recorded in August and another case in July.
The number of cases, however, dropped almost 80 percent compared to the same period last year with 968 cases. Dengue has claimed six lives in the city so far in 2017.
Caspe underscored the need for early consultation and not wait for the patient to manifest rashes or bleeding, stressing that dengue can be treated once it is diagnosed early.
Dengue has no specific treatment because it needs supported care if it is properly diagnosed, he added.
“What is important is to seek consultation once a fever has been lingering for two days already,” Caspe said. “There are rapid tests that can detect if a day with fever is already a dengue case.”
Rapid test kits are available in health centers, provided by the Department of Health.
The CHO has completed the spraying of larvicide in Barangays San Nicholas and Magdalo, all in Lapaz district, where two dengue deaths were recorded.
The office hopes to complete spraying in Bitoon, Jaro soon. “We are ready with larvicides,” Caspe said.
He also encouraged cleanup activities to be done daily, and not just during weekends.
