The Department of Health sent yesterday a team of experts to Calamba, Laguna to contain the outbreak of typhoid fever there, affecting some 752 residents.
DOH chief epidemiologist Dr. Eric Tayag said the experts were also tasked to assess the capability of Calamba hospitals in handling huge number of typhoid fever patients.
Tayag hinted the experts would have to initiate “triaging system” in these hospitals to separate typhoid fever patients from other patients.
“Many patients are now going to the hospitals and some of their ailments may not be typhoid fever. So we have put triaging system in place to determine who among them are actually sick with typhoid (upon arrival),” he told The STAR.
Typhoid fever is a life-threatening disease caused by salmonella typhi bacterium that can be acquired from food and drinks that have been handled by an infected individual or if contaminated sewage gets into the water used for drinking or washing food.
Tayag said that 27 patients have tested positive for salmonella typhi while others are still being observed in hospitals.
He said that chlorinated waters must be distributed to the residents while the source of contamination is not yet known.
Tayag added that residents must also observe precautionary measures like boiling of drinking water, frequent hand washing and other sanitary practices to contain the outbreak.
Additionally, the Philippine National Red Cross Laguna Chapter declared an outbreak of typhoid fever in Calamba City yesterday after at least 504 patients were admitted in different hospitals for treatment.
Rudelly Cabuti, PNRC-Laguna administrator said local hospitals here started admitting patients from Feb. 16 until March 1, after complaining of severe headache, high fever, body malaise and diarrhea. Cabuti said their city branch chairman in Calamba City, Lerma Pascual reported the increasing number of typhoid fever patients in the area confined at nine government and private hospitals.
“Two teams were already dispatched to verify and assess the number of people affected in Barangay Bucal with reported patients of more than two thousand were affected, while 700 in barangay Pansol” Cabuti said.
Per record of patients admitted in the hospital, 18 barangays were affected with typhoid fever identified as follows: Bagong Kalsada , Bucal, Halang, Lecheria, Looc, Makiling, Paciano, Sucol, San Juan, Barangay 1 to Barangay 7, San Cristobal and San Jose.
Cabuti said the source of their water supply is from the Calamba Water District but there’s no official report yet on the contamination as of presstime.
Based on the PNRC surveys, Calamba Medical Center has the most number of admission with 117 patients, Dr. J.P. Rizal Memorial District Hospital-79; Pamana Medical Center, 86; Calamba Doctors Hospital, 79; Jose Hospital & Trauma Center; St.John the Baptist, 30; Dr. BG Donasco, 15; St James Cabrini Medical Center, 49; and Pagamutang Pangmasa ng Laguna, 20 patients.
According to these hospitals, there were enormous numbers of OPD patients everyday, however, some of them were referred to other hospitals for lack of available beds.
Calamba Mayor Joaquin Chipeco in a radio interview said they already started disseminating information through the media on how to prevent the spread of typhoid fever. – With Ed Amoroso