- GILBERT BAYORAN & CHERYL CRUZ
Cholera outbreak was declared in three barangays of EB Magalona, with the recent death of a resident from Hacienda Manalo 5 in Brgy. Tanza of the town, even as confirmed cholera cases rose to 12 in Negros Occidental.
In Bacolod, City Health Officer, Dr. Ma. Carmela Gensoli said Oct. 17 that the city “is on alert level” following nine confirmed cholera cases spread in several big barangays.
These include two cases each in Sum-ag and Granada, and one each in Mansilingan, Alijis, Tangub, Handumanan, and in Brgy. 40.
Cholera outbreak, meanwhile, was declared by EB Magalona Mayor Marvin Malacon in barangays Tanza, Batea, and Poblacion 3, after a resident of Brgy. Tanza died of septic shock due to infectious diarrhea and severe dehydration Oct. 11, a day after he was admitted at the Teresita Lopez Jalandoni Provincial Hospital in Silay City.
The first cholera fatality was recorded in Barangay Guinhalaran, Silay City, which prompted Mayor Joedith Gallego to also declare an outbreak in the barangay in September.
The three other cholera cases in EB Magalona are a two-year-old boy from Brgy. 3 Poblacion, a 60-year-old man also from Hacienda Manalo 5, and a 30-year-old woman from Sitio Tampok, Brgy. Batea.
Aside from the four cases in the town, five confirmed cholera cases were also logged in Silay, two in Talisay City, and one in Victorias City, and all of these local government units are in the 3rd District of Negros Occidental.
Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Ernell Tumimbang, stressed that if cases of cholera and acute diarrhea are high in a certain LGU, there is a problem on sanitation, either a lack of potable water or proper waste disposal.
Tumimbang advised local health offices to strictly enforce the “zero open defecation” policy.
Malacon, meanwhile, assured all Saraviahanons that the municipal government is on top of the situation, stressing that they already implemented stringent measures to contain the outbreak and to avert other water-borne diseases.
A Local Drinking Water Quality Monitoring Committee was recently formed by the municipal government which directed all owners of water refilling stations (WRS) to subject their water samples to bacteriological testing in laboratories accredited by the Department of Health.
Earlier, several WRS in the town were ordered closed by Malacon, not because of water contamination but due to the failure of owners to secure necessary permits.
In Bacolod, Dr. Grace Tan, head of the CHO Environmental Sanitation Division, said Monday that of the 257 WRS inspected, 118 were found to have no permits, and four already closed./GB, CGC
