Re: Philippines 2012 - Diarrhoea
Re: Philippines 2012 - Diarrhoea
PIA Press Release
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Cholera watch raised in Albay
LEGAZPI CITY, Jan 11 (PIA) -- Although health authorities said there is no cause for alarm yet, the province of Albay is now under close watch against possible cholera outbreak, the Provincial Health Office warned Tuesday.
Provincial Health officer Dr. Luis Mendoza told Bicol Mail that Albay recorded seven new cases of positive Cholera (Bibrio) in the dying days of December last year, just in time when the province was supposed to be declared free from the disease. ?We will have to wait for another six-month period before we can say that we are already free from cholera but unfortunately due to bad weather condition during the past few weeks, we started to get reports on cases in the province.?
Mendoza said that five of the seven cases were from the town of Daraga, one in Ligao City, and another in Legazpi.
?Because the cases reported were from sporadic areas, we are closely monitoring and accounting for possible additional cases, but an outbreak will only be declared once the cases are concentrated in one particular community,? Mendoza explained.
He added that there have been no cases since last week and no casualty has been reported yet although three people have died of cholera earlier this year in Barangay Gapo, Daraga and the new cases (five) last month were mostly from Balinand, an adjacent village.
?This is why we alerted all municipal and city health officers across the 15 towns and three cities of Albay, and not only the affected areas, to practice proper household chlorination, proper food preparation, boiling of drinking water especially those from open wells, and most importantly, proper human waste disposal,? he said.
Aside from cholera, the PHO is also watching for new incidences of dengue cases where two cases were reported each in Daraga and Oas towns, one case in Pioduran, and another in Ligao City. ?This is only for December and we are accounting for the other areas to complete the statistics."
Mendoza also called for proper cleanliness and eradication of possible mosquito breeding places in support of Albay Gov. Joey Salceda?s program of zero casualties among Albayanos. (MAL/REN-LGU ALbay)
http://www.pia.gov.ph/?m=1&t=1&id=72070
