MALASIQUI, Pangasinan — The Pangasinan Provincial Health Office (PHO) has recorded 4,210 acute gastroenteritis cases and 25 leptospirosis cases from Jan. 1 to Aug. 29 this year.
Based on the PHO’s data issued on Wednesday, the acute gastroenteritis cases are 121 percent higher than the 1,904 cases recorded in the same period last year.
The death due to the disease reached 24 this year from 11 last year.
Most of the patients are one to four years old children with most cases recorded in May.
The municipalities and cities under PHO’s monitoring are the towns of Umingan, Lingayen, Malasiqui, Mangaldan, Bolinao, Binmaley, Calasiao, Pozorrubio, San Carlos City, and Alaminos City.
In a phone interview on Wednesday, PHO chief, Dr. Anna Ma. Teresa de Guzman, attributed the increase in cases to the hygiene, food preparation, and unclean source of drinking water.
“Since most of the patients are children, their hygiene, especially their hands, might have been unclean. It might also be due to unclean feeding bottles or food preparation. It could also be that their source of water might be contaminated,” she said.
De Guzman said parents should monitor their children for dehydration since acute gastroenteritis results in fever, vomiting, and diarrhea.
“They should not self-medicate and if there are signs of dehydration, such as lack of tears when crying or weakness or sunken eyes, they should immediately seek medical intervention in hospitals,” she added.
De Guzman said the PHO is urging the local government units and the community to inspect their water source to ensure it is safe for drinking.
“They should also ensure that the water being used in preparing foods is clean, especially this rainy season,” she said.
De Guzman also advised the parents to boil their drinking water for at least three minutes if they are unsure of the safety of its source.
“They may also prepare oral first-aid. They may prepare boiled drinking water (one liter) with a tablespoon of salt and sugar. But it is important that they bring their child to the hospital if there are signs of dehydration,” she said.
De Guzman said the provincial government-run hospitals have a fast lane for emergency cases of acute gastroenteritis.
“There is enough supply of medicine and IV (intravenous) fluids in our hospitals,” she said.
Meanwhile, PHO recorded 25 leptospirosis cases in the province from Jan. 1 to Aug. 29 this year, 4 percent lower than the 26 in the same period last year.
There are also two deaths due to leptospirosis from only one death last year.
Most of the patients are aged 20 to 29 years old.
The cases increased this August which can be attributed to the flooding due to the rainy season.
The municipalities under PHO’s monitoring are Bautista, Binalonan, Sual, and Sta. Maria. (PNA)
