THE City Health Office said that a third diphtheria case was recorded in Zamboanga City, citing confirmatory results from the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine in Manila.
City health officer Dr. Rodelin Agbuloson said Monday the patient of the third positive case of diphtheria is from the village of Mampang, east of this city.
Agbulos said this brings the total positive cases in the city to three, two from the village of Cawit and the latest one from Mampang.
Agbulos said that control measures were immediately set up by his office to prevent the possible spread of the case.
He said the patient was immediately quarantined and provided with the necessary medication.
He added that prophylaxis was also given for those who have had close contact with the patient.
He said they have also undertaken mass vaccination and house-to-house visitation for the immunization process in the village of Mampang.
Agbulos reported that diphtheria immunization drive initiated by his office as a preventive measure immunization is 100 percent complete in the village of Cawit, while in Mampang, it is nearing completion.
Agbulos believes the Mampang case is not related to the Cawit diphtheria cases, attributing the most recent case to a supply oversight by the Department of Health sometime in 2013.
Diphtheria is a highly contagious bacterial disease that causes inflammation of mucous membranes that can hinder breathing and swallowing and a possible fatal heart failure and nerve damage by a bacterial toxin in the blood. (Bong Garcia/SunStar Philippines)