BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL G. BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – The Department of Health (DOH) Epidemiology Bureau confirmed yesterday morning the outbreak in San Carlos City earlier in February was caused by cholera, not amoebiasis.
Seven of the 22 specimens sent to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) tested positive for vibrio cholera, said San Carlos City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office head Joe Alingasa Jr.
He said some of the medical staff from the DOH had doubts if it was really amoeba, so they performed rectal swabbing in some of the patients.
He pointed out if it was amoeba the cases should have only clustered to one sitio, however it spread to 18 barangays.
At present the number of gastroenteritis cases already dropped, although a 54-year-old individual died last week due to a waterborne disease.
The city has yet to identify as to where the contamination came from; they currently have a weekly monitoring of all water refilling stations.
The San Carlos City Waterworks Department is also carrying out chlorination of water sources to kill bacteria that could cause gastrointestinal problems.
Earlier, the DOH central office sent a team to San Carlos City to assist in controlling the rising number of gastrointestinal-related diseases./PN
