AN OFFICIAL of the Department of Health (DOH) in Central Visayas assured the public that typhoid fever is not transmissible.
Dr. Mary Jean Loreche, DOH-Central Visayas chief pathologist, made the clarification on Monday, June 27, 2022, following the rise of typhoid cases in the town of Barili in southwestern Cebu.
Loreche told SunStar Cebu that typhoid fever is a water and food borne illness, wherein people can be diagnosed if the water is not clean and contains the salmonella typhi, or if the food prepared was made of unclean water.
She also noted that one can get diagnosed with the disease if the person who prepared the food has microorganism.
With this, the chief pathologist urged the public to boil their water properly.
"Those eating in the carinderia or eateries or any food outlets, for that matter, should make sure the water used for cooking and drinking is clean. The one who handles and prepares the food wears gloves or makes sure they wash hands with soap and water," she added.
Loreche said typhoid cases can happen anytime, adding that it is more prominent if there is flooding and drinking water is not secured.
As of Sunday, June 26, admitted patients in both Barili District Hospital and the town’s infirmary have exceeded the full bed capacity due to the increasing number of typhoid cases in the town.
The hospital has only 25-bed capacity but the number of admitted patients on Sunday already reached 60, and 27 of whom were typhoid cases.
The Barili Infirmary, on the other hand, has only eight-bed capacity but it already has 14 persons admitted with typhoid fever, excluding those who were admitted due to other diseases.
Majority of the 41 typhoid cases currently admitted in Barili District Hospital and the town’s infirmary are children, but the doctors said all of them are in stable condition while others have shown improvement.
From March 16 to June 25, data from the Cebu Provincial Health Office showed that 98 persons fell ill to the disease with three deaths in 24 of the 42 barangays in Barili.