Baby dies of dehydration in quake-stricken North Cotabato
MANILA, Philippines — A six-month-old baby died at an evacuation center in Makilala, North Cotabato, the city most devasted by recent powerful earthquakes that hit Mindanao, local health officials said Thursday.
“The parents, with the aid of health volunteers, rushed the child to a local hospital but was declared dead upon arrival,” municipal health officer doctor Georgina Sorilla said in a radio interview.
Sorilla said the baby girl earlier displayed rashes and symptoms of severe diarrhea, attributed to cramped living conditions in tents at the evacuation center in Barangay New Bulatukan in Makilala.
Two earthquakes with a magnitude of 6.6 and 6.5, respectively, struck Mindanao last week, claiming 21 lives.
“The lack of safe drinking water and basic daily needs of evacuees in makeshift shelters also added to the child’s deteriorating condition,” Sorilla said.
Sorilla said families in evacuation centers should coordinate with authorized health volunteers to avoid similar incidents.
“We must help one another in these trying times,” the doctor said.
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