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Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Gastroenteritis strikes again: 3 dead
By Minerva B. Gerodias
CEBU CITY -- Gastroenteritis claimed the lives of two babies and a 62-year-old man in Tabuelan, Cebu, the third time in two months such disease afflicted townsfolk in the province.
At least 33 persons from Tabuelan have been brought to the Tuburan District Hospital since Oct. 2.
Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO) Chief Cristina Giango said the hospital admission surged last Nov. 5, with residents in nine barangays of the northwestern town taken ill.
There were also those who had themselves checked by the rural health unit (RHU), but IPHO is yet to get the number of RHU patients.
IPHO has taken water samples for testing, to determine if the town's water is contaminated.
Dirty water was blamed for the gastroenteritis that hit residents of Borbon and Sibonga towns last month.
In Borbon in northern Cebu, one died and 168 others were struck by the disease from Sept. 28 to Oct. 24.
Poor hygiene due to lack of toilets caused the contamination of water there.
At least 59 cases of acute gastroenteritis cases were also recorded in the southern town of Sibonga last month. Some residents got their water from open wells or an undeveloped spring.
Last year, the southwestern town of Moalboal also had a gastroenteritis outbreak that killed at least three persons, including a baby, and downed more than 400 others.
Because of the incident, the local officials took over the management and operations of the town's water district, after the health department and IPHO confirmed that its water source was contaminated and its pipes were old, rusty and leaking.
Gastroenteritis is a serious illness for those who are unable to drink enough fluids to replace what they lose through vomiting or diarrhea.
Infants, young children and elderly are at risk for dehydration from loss of fluids. Death results from dehydration and other complications.
The seven-month-old baby died last Nov. 12 after being confined for 24 hours in Tuburan District Hospital.
The other fatality, a one-month-old baby girl was taken straight to Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu City but died last Sunday.
The 62-year-old man died last Saturday in his residence after suffering from diarrhea for four days. He did not seek treatment.
Governor Gwendolyn Garcia has ordered IPHO to investigate the Tabuelan incident.
Giango said that because of the rains, germs might have entered leaking pipes in the affected barangays of Tabuelan.
IPHO personnel went to Tabuelan to bring medicines and fluids, as well as to conduct health education.
Giango advised household chlorination and water boiling to make sure that the water they are drinking is safe.
Today, IPHO and the Department of Health will conduct rectal exams of those who were taken ill. (Sun.Star Cebu/Sunnex)
(November 16, 2005 issue)
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