A 67-year-old female has died due to complications from diarrhea bringing total deaths from the Toril diarrhea outbreak to two.
According to the City Health Office (CHO), the patient, who was admitted in Viacrucis Medical Hospital, died due to an incidental hemorrhagic stroke.
The first death was that of a 10-year-old boy, who died at SPMC due to severe dehydration.
Dr. Ashley Lopez, CHO head, said that there are now 212 cases, as of July 21, and patients are mostly females.
Patients have been admitted to the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC), St. John of the Cross Hospital, Mediquest Hospital Davao, St. Felix Medical Hospital, Malta Medical Center, Viacrucis Medical Hospital, Ernesto Guadalupe Community Hospital, and Southern Philippines Medical Center.
Lopez said that seven of the patients have recovered from the incident, while there are 179 active cases in the diarrhea outbreak.
He said some patients admitted to the SPMC came out positive for amoebiasis.
Meanwhile, Lopez said that the number of barangays affected is now 21 where 18 barangays are from Toril while three are outside the area. These areas are Alambre, Bangkas Heights, Baracatan, Bato, Binugao, Camansi, Catigan, Crossing Bayabas, Daliao, Daliaon Plantation, Eden, Lizada, Lubogan, Marapangi, Mulig, Sirawan, Toril Proper, Tungkalan. Reports from one more barangay are still being verified.
Dumoy, Baliok, and Matina Aplaya are barangays outside Toril with recorded diarrhea cases and are also for verification.
“Although adjacent ni siya nga district, tapad lang ni sa Toril mainly sa atong barangay sa Dumoy, Baliok which is the boundary of our Talomo South, ang ulahi ug pinakalayo kay didto sa Matina Aplaya, and they have reported one case of LBM or diarrhea,” Lopez said.
However, Lopez said they still need to verify if the cases of the patients outside of Toril are related to the diarrhea outbreak.
The investigation is still ongoing and results are expected to be out soon but Lopez said reasons for the diarrhea outbreak remain either water borne and food borne or food handling.
Lopez said that the City Government is doing its best to contain the outbreak. A team of epidemiologists from the Department of Health- Central Office, which will conduct third-party independent surveillance and analysis of the diarrhea outbreak in Toril, also arrived last Wednesday
While waiting for the laboratory results, Lopez said that they are seeing a positive impact after closing the street food stalls in Toril.
“Decreasing ang number of patients who had consulted, kadtong niadto sa atong incident command center and mga health center aron magpakonsulta compared to last Sunday, Monday (The number of patients who consulted and those who went to the incident command center and health center has decreased compared to last Sunday and Monday)” he said.
He added that “It probably reflects the efforts of what we are doing right now, particularly atong sa prevention (of) any possible source of infection kadtong pag-cancel nato pag hold nato sa pagtinda og street foods and kadtong vendors and kadtong ongoing nga DCWD efforts on chlorination, periodic flushing sa ilang water system sa ilang pipes (It probably reflects what we are doing right now, particularly the prevention of the possible source of infection, the suspension of the selling of street food on the streets, vendors seminar and the ongoing DCWD efforts on chlorination and the periodic flushing of the pipes),” he said.
Lopez said the city government is doing its best to contain the outbreak and is confident that the crisis would be over soon.
“Sa flow sa atong mga cases it is still manageable we can overcome this one. Manawagan ko for your full cooperation kung whatever man nga efforts and mga activities nga buhaton sa atong government, please cooperate unsa man ang mga instruction, mga directives or mg advisories nga ihatag sa atoa. (According to the flow of the cases, it is still manageable. We can overcome this one. I am calling on your full cooperation and whatever the efforts and the activities that the city government will do, and whatever directives and advisories were given to us, please cooperate),” Lopez said. KSD with CIO