TWO died from typhoid fever in Pinamungajan town during the weekend, said the Department of Health (DOH) Central Visayas.
Health officials plan to return to Barangay Camugao in Pinamungajan town today to check if the disease has spread after knowing that contaminated water caused the ailment.
Rennan Cimafranca, DOH 7’s chief epidemiologist, said they received reports that five siblings in Barangay Camugao got sick after allegedly drinking water from an improvised well in the area.
Camugao is about 20 kms. from the national highway.
The siblings reportedly suffered severe fever for more than two weeks before two of them were hospitalized.
The first sibling, a 16-year-old, died at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) last week due to complications from typhoid fever.
While the second sibling died in their house after he defied his doctor’s order to stay in the hospital. The other three are now recovering from their ailments.
Both siblings reportedly belong to a poor family, Cimafranca said.
Samples
Cimafranca last Saturday said they collected water samples from the spring where the five siblings reportedly got sick from.
Results of the water testing found that the improvised spring is positive for fecal coliform or Escherichia Coli.
Cimafranca and personnel from the DOH 7’s Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (RESU) will return to Pinamungajan today to bring medicines, chlorine and other facilities for the residents there.
They will also be checking if the typhoid outbreak had spread to other residents.