July 22, 2022
The City Health Office called on Toril residents to exercise diligence in food handling as the cause of the diarrhea outbreak in the area could have come from various sources.
Davao City Acting City Health Officer Dr. Ashley Lopez, in an interview with Davao City Disaster Radio on Thursday morning, said that while waiting for the laboratory results, people in Toril should also cook their food thoroughly after patients admitted to the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) came out positive for amoebiasis.
“Naa ta’y number sa patients who are positive with Amoebiasis that is why gawas atong pagpakulo og tubig, frequent handwashing, pre-cautions sa pag-prepare sa mga pagkaon, as much as possible we have to prepare and cook our food thoroughly. Limpyuhan og tarong atong gulay ug karne ug atong lutuon ug maayo kay para ma avoid pa nato ning potential infections that could also be implicated with diarrhea (We have patients who are positive with Amoebiasis that is why other than boiling water, frequent handwashing and precautions should be adopted in preparing our food (and) as much as possible, we have to prepare and cook our food thoroughly. Clean our vegetables, and meat and cook it well so that we can avoid potential infections that could also be implicated with diarrhea),” Lopez said.
Based on the data as of July 21, 2022, the patients who contracted diarrhea – hospitalized and outpatient – already reached 212, and six of them are admitted to SPMC. The rest of the patients are admitted to the Davao Mediquest Hospital Inc., St. John Hospital, Malta Medical Hospital, Viacrusis Medical Hospital, and Ernesto Guadalupe Medical Hospital. The cases are from 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.
Another death was also recorded at the Viacrusis Hospital, that of a 67-year-old female who was admitted due to diarrhea. Her death was blamed on a stroke though. The first death was that of a 10-year-old boy, who expired at SPMC due to severe dehydration.
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. CIO
