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8 die of acute gastro in Iloilo City

By Perla Lena

September 1, 2022, 6:55 pm

<p><strong>ACUTE GASTROENTERITIS.</strong> The case status of the acute gastroenteritis in Iloilo City as of Aug. 31, 2022. The City Health Office said Thursday (Sept. 1, 2022) there is still a possibility that the number of cases would increase as active case monitoring continues. <em>(PNA photo screenshot from CHO presentation)</em></p>

ACUTE GASTROENTERITIS. The case status of the acute gastroenteritis in Iloilo City as of Aug. 31, 2022. The City Health Office said Thursday (Sept. 1, 2022) there is still a possibility that the number of cases would increase as active case monitoring continues. (PNA photo screenshot from CHO presentation)

ILOILO CITY – The acute gastroenteritis outbreak here has already claimed eight lives as of August 31, the City Health Office (CHO) reported Thursday.
 
“From 125 cases last August 30, we have an additional 103 cases for August 31. So that’s a total of 228 as of August 31. We are still receiving reports for September 1,” Dr. Marigold Calsas, medical coordinator of the Iloilo City Epidemiology and Surveillance Office, said in a press conference.
 
The deaths included a four-month-old girl from Timawa Tanza II, an 11-month-old girl from Sto. Rosario-Duran, a two-year-old boy from Rizal Palapala I, a five-year-old boy from Zone 6B Molo Boulevard, an eight-year-old girl from Zone 6 Calumpang, a 31-year-old man from Zone 3 Sagasa in Hibao-an Norte, and a 63-year-old woman from Maria Clara.
 
The other death was recorded back in March, based on information from the Iloilo City Epidemiology and Surveillance Office.
 
A total of 53 patients are in hospitals, 115 have recovered, and 52 are active cases but are not confined in hospitals, she added.
 
Eight cases were confirmed as cholera based on the result of the rectal swab that was sent to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine.
 
The city government has already ordered the closure of deep wells that were found positive for coliform and E. coli while water refilling stations that were randomly tested and found to be positive for the bacteria will be subjected to confirmatory tests as cases of acute gastroenteritis (AGE).
 
“When the water is positive for coliform, that means there is a risk that it is contaminated. It’s like a signal. If it is positive for E-coli, definitely the water is contaminated,” CHO officer in charge Annabelle Tang said in the same press conference.
 
Tang said the city government has provided the affected areas with a static tank and coordinated with the Metro Pacific Iloilo Water for the provision of safe water.
 
Over the weekend, bottled waters were also procured while the static tank was not yet available.
 
Dr. Roland Fortuna, also of the CHO, said of the 32 water-refilling stations that were randomly tested, four tested positive for E. coli and coliform and 14 have coliform bacteria.
 
Of the 55 deep wells that were tested, 39 tested positive for E. coli and coliform and 15 have coliform bacteria.
 
Fortuna said all deep wells that have been closed would be chlorinated.
 
He added that they also intend to disinfect with chlorine other deep wells in the city that are not in areas with cases of AGE, but for now, priority would be given to those with clustering of cases.
 
Based on the initial inventory of the CHO sanitary division, the city has nearly 20,000 deep wells although this is still subject to verification.
 
Mayor Jerry Treñas also issued Executive Order 054 on Thursday, requiring all water-refilling stations in the city to submit to mandatory water potability testing through accredited laboratories.
 
“Due to the rapid increase in AGE cases, there is a need to revisit and heighten the sanitary measures, particularly with all the water-refilling stations in the city,” the EO said.
 
The CHO noted that there is still a possibility that the number of cases would rise as they carry out active monitoring. (PNA)
 

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