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By Rommel C. Lontayao, Reporter
The Department of Health (DOH) on Monday said it
has sent a team of epidemiologists or disease experts to Calamba
City, Laguna, to contain the typhoid fever outbreak in several areas
in the said city, where some 1,262 typhoid fever cases were
reported.
The DOH-National Epidemiology Center (NEC)
director, Dr. Eric Tayag, said the team will also try to determine
the cause of the upsurge of typhoid fever cases and help local
authorities and health officials in decreasing the number of cases.
The DOH has already declared an outbreak of
typhoid fever in the city even before the number of patients rose,
noting a rise in typhoid cases reported by the Calamba City Health
Office recorded since January this year.
Of the 1,262 cases reported by the city health
officials, 752 patients were from the villages of Singko, Lecheria,
Halang, Bucal, Pansol and La Mesa.
Tayag said 27 patients were found positive
with the bacteria Salmonella typhi that causes typhoid fever.
Some 200 others were still being observed in the
hospitals as of Monday, but no death was reported so far.
More than 500 villagers in Calamba have been
admitted in hospitals for typhoid fever over the past two weeks,
said Rutelly Cabutin, the administrator of Laguna chapter of
Philippine National Red Cross to the Chinese news agency in a
telephone interview on Monday.
The 500 sickened residents from 18 villages of
Calamba City are being treated in nine local hospitals,
Nearly 5,000 residents are seeking medical
assistance from the government, said Rutelly, but added she was
unable to tell how many people are suffering from the disease that
started to spread around February 16 and peaked at the end of the
month.
The number of admitted patients doubled in the
past week, but the Red Cross has not found the cause of the
outbreak. The Calamba Water District had tested sample water
following the incident, but the test results turned out to be fine.
Local television network GMA News said that
local medical resources were strained by the outburst of typhoid
fever cases, quoting sources with JP Rizal Memorial Medical Center
saying that at least 157 typhoid patients were crammed in the
hospital that could only accommodate 50.
“Most of the patients were on the floor due to
the hospital’s insufficient number of beds,” the report said,
adding that local medicines and medical supplies are also almost
running out.
DOH’s Tayag said the health department will
verify the data provided by the Calamba Health Office, and urged the
Calamba City government to distribute chlorinated water to the
residents to prevent further outbreak.
The epidemiologist advised the residents to boil
for at least two to three minutes their drinking water and use
chlorinated water in cooking food.
Typhoid fever is an acute illness associated
with fever. The bacteria are deposited in water or food by human
carriers and are spread to other people in the area once they ingest
the contaminated food or water.
Tayag said typhoid fever may affect the brain or
ay cause typhoid psychosis.
-- With Xinhua
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