Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Warnings out vs. rainy-day illness
THE Cebu City Health Department warned the public about water-borne diseases that could affect them this rainy season, especially with the flooding in a lot of urban poor communities.
Assistant City Epidemiologist Durinda Macasocol said the people should look out for possible water and food contamination to avoid such diseases as cholera, typhoid fever, leptospirosis, diarrhea and gastritis, which are common during the rainy season.
Based on the records of the City Epidemiology Surveillance and Statistics Unit (CESSU), cases of infection increase during the months when there are heavy rains, she said.
“Whenever there are rains and flooding, the possibility for water to be contaminated is higher, more so when the water pipes are submerged in floodwater and the pipes are not well maintained, because dirt easily seeps in and contaminates the water. People should boil the water before drinking it,” she told Sun.Star Cebu.
Macasocol also warned the public to be careful when buying food from eateries or ambulant vendors, since cleanliness during food preparation cannot be guaranteed.
In the case of food sold in the streets, food inevitably gets contaminated during preparation or delivery and could result in diarrhea, amoebiasis and hepatitis, she added.
“During the rainy season, food intake is also extra risky because we cannot be so sure of the cleanliness during food preparation or sometimes, it can get contaminated when the vendors go around selling it. We just have to be extra careful and diligent in boiling our drinking water and preparing our food,” said Macasocol.
She also urged the parents to keep their children from wading in floodwaters, to avoid getting leptospirosis. Leptospirosis is acquired when one is bitten by a rodent or if an open wound is exposed to bacteria from water contaminated with a rodent’s waste. (LCR)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (May 28, 2008 issue)
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