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CALAMBA City: Health authorities still continue to work
round-the-clock, although they have already placed typhoid fever
under check in Calamba City, the National Disaster Coordinating
Council (NDCC) reported on Saturday.
Earlier, what were originally reported as
isolated cases of typhoid fever became an outbreak that eventually
reached epidemic proportions in just a few days, the government-run
Philippine News Agency reported.
In fact, NDCC said, doctors and other health
workers are still keeping a tight watch over areas close to Calamba
due to reports that some residents in adjoining towns have fallen
ill and shown symptoms akin to typhoid fever.
It was noted that the number of new typhoid
cases has been dwindling lately.
The municipal health office of Santa Rosa,
Laguna also reported four cases of typhoid fever, NDCC said in a
report.
It did not identify the four victims, but said
they are confined at St. James Hospital.
NDCC has not identified other areas where cases
of typhoid fever have been reported.
Also, it said that as of Friday, what was just
an outbreak of typhoid fever reached epidemic proportions with at
least 1,355 cases reported in many barangays in Calamba.
Of that number, 314 patients have been confined
in different hospitals in the area, while 1,041 are being treated in
their own homes.
A series of laboratory examinations has
confirmed that at least 272 of those cases tested positive for
typhoid bacteria, NDCC said.
Medical books say typhoid fever is triggered by
salmonella bacteria, which usually dwell in contaminated water or
food that humans ingest. Humans infected with typhoid usually
experience high fever, abdominal cramps, frequent loose-bowel
movements and lack of appetite. If unchecked, a person with typhoid
could eventually die.
In nearby Batangas province, the Department of
Health and the Batangas Regional Hospital have reinforced current
support units and medical teams in various hospitals and augmented
their supply of prescription drugs and over-the-counter medicines.
NDCC ordered that water analysis in the area be
done daily, although all initial tests, which were performed last
Sunday, all indicated negative for fecal contamination.
It also arranged meetings with private hospitals
to strengthen its referral system.
Calamba City Mayor Joaquin Chipeco Jr. has
established a command center at the city health office, in a bid to
provide quick reaction to distress signals, NDCC said.
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