City health inspects 3 water stations

CEBU, Philippines - Three water suppliers in Barangay Guadalupe may be locked down if proven by the Cebu City Health Department to be the cause of typhoid fever cases in the area. 

Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella has directed the CHD and City Treasurer’s Office to look into the credentials of the water suppliers if they have been complying with the necessary requirements on selling potable water.

“They must be investigated considering that the lives of the people are at stake here,” he said.

The CHD is expected today to provide results on the series of tests conducted on water samples from the suppliers in Sitios Tugasan, Sandayong, Kanaas and Lumbani.

While, waiting for the result, the Regional Epidemiology Surveillance Unit-7 and the barangay’s committee on health yesterday treated some of the water sour-ces and distributed to the residents Aquatabs, a water purification tablet.

The Aquatabs aims to kill micro-organisms in water to prevent cholera, typhoid, dysentery and other water borne diseases.

Guadalupe Barangay Councilman Apos Ross Enriquez said they have to treat the water sour-ces since the residents have no sufficient access to water systems.

Enriquez said the several sources of water were treated by applying chlorine to water to kill bacteria and other microbes in water.

The Department of Health will also hold today a medical mission in several sitios in the said barangay to prevent any increase of typhoid fever cases.

As reported, one died and seven others were admitted at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center after suffering from high fever and diarrhea, which are symptoms of typhoid fever.

Typhoid fever is a common bacterial disease transmitted by ingesting food or water contaminated with feces or from an infected person, who has the bacteria. Symptoms are fever, cough, bloody nose (epistaxis), and abdominal pains.

The disease, if not treated right away, could be fatal. Typhoid fever can be treated with antibiotics and prevented through proper sanitation and hygiene.

Labella said the family of the lone fatality will receive P10,000 burial assistance, while the city will shoulder the medical and hospitalization expenses of other victims that will be charged to the City Hospitalization Assistance and Medicines Program.

Also, the victims will be receiving an additional P3,000 financial aid from the Department of Social Welfare and Services funds.

In case there would be a shortage of water supply in the said sitios, the Metropolitan Cebu Water District will be providing water containers, said Labella.

Meanwhile, of the seven people from Barangay Guadalupe, Cebu City who were brought to the hospital, four are still under observation. 

“Of the seven patients brought in, four are admitted while the rest were still under observation,” VSMMC Media liaison officer Nonoy Mongaya yesterday told The Freeman.

As part of the standard process, all patients (admitted and outpatient) were subjected to “thorough medical examination” including specimen extraction for confirmatory laboratory testing.

Mongaya further clarified that the fatality suspected of typhoid fever also from the same area was not brought to VSMMC.   (FREEMAN)