Cholera cases in Bacolod rise to 21
THE CASES of cholera in Bacolod City rose to 21 from September 1 to November 12 this year, a report from the City Health Office (CHO) showed.
City Health Officer Ma. Carmela Gensoli, in a statement, said that of the 61 barangays, Barangay Banago had the highest number of cases with six.
Gensoli said that Barangay Alijis, which earlier declared an outbreak, has three while Barangays Granada, Mandalagan, Handumanan and Sum-ag have two cases each.
There were also recorded cases of cholera in Barangays 40, Bata, Mansilingan and Tangub, she said.
The 21 residents who had cholera were among the of 307 Acute Gastroenteritis (AGE) cases recorded earlier by the CHO, Gensoli also said, saying that these patients have already recovered.
Samples were taken from drinking water sources by the CHO in various barangays while refilling stations are closely monitored.
Gensoli noted that the sanitation inspectors were also deployed in different barangays for the disinfection and chlorination of dug and artesian wells.
The CHO had ordered the closure of a dug well at Purok Luhod-luhod in Barangay Mandalagan after it was tested positive for vibrio cholerae bacterium that causes cholera.
Aside from the dug well at Purok Luhod-luhod, the CHO also examined all the dug wells near the area as well as in other barangays with the assistance of the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM).
Gensoli said cholera is caused by ingesting water or food that has been contaminated by the cholera bacterium, causing the infected person to suffer from severe diarrhea and vomiting.
She said the public should always practice personal hygiene and environmental sanitation.
The CHO advised the public to get water for drinking only from refilling stations with updated bacteriological monitoring.*