Number of patients still increases to 628 despite drive to contain outbreak

November 23, 2008

By Lizanilla J. Amarga

The number of patients affected by the diarrheal outbreak from Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental continues to soar to around 628 patients even as local officials and medical experts among other groups are rushing to contain the bacterial spread.

Over dxIF Bombo Radyo, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Ignacio Moreno reported that there are now around 620 victims of this outbreak.

He said there are now 557 patients victims at the Tagoloan Rural Health Center , 43 at the Northern Mindanao Medical Center (NMMC), 14 patients at the Polymedic Hospital at Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental and six at Puerto Community Hospital .

By late morning yesterday, NMMC top-officer Dr. Enrique Saab said there was an increase of four more children admitted at their pediatric wards and then four more adults thus, bringing the total to around 49 patients.

He said he and Department of Health-Regional Epidemiology Surveillance Unit (RESU-10) Dr. David Mendoza suspect that this might be a cholera outbreak and not amoeba.

He added that they are still waiting for the results of the samples they sent to their laboratories.

However, Dr. Saab clarified that this has nothing to do with the hog cholera that has killed a number of hog livestock at the same town in the past two months.

“Lahi man kadtong Hog Cholera kay wala man kadto epekto sa tao (The hog cholera is different as it has no effect on humans),” he told Gold Star Daily.

He added that the hog cholera that hit the town was viral and spread through the air while the one that is now affecting Tagoloanons are suspected to be sourced from the town’s water supply.

Tagoloan Mayor Paulino Emano said there are two water distributors at his town, the Tagoloan Water Works and the Mactan Rock in Natumolan.

However, he explained that majority of the residents that fell victim to this outbreak do not have a water line connection from these two sources.

“But I have already sent out some of our people to check out our two water supply distributors,” he said this as he added that the affected residents are those from barangays Buluarte, Casinglot, Bogoac, Poblacion, Mohon, Sta. Cruz, Sihayon and Sugbongcogon.

Written by admin · Filed Under Misamis Oriental