The Department of Health (DoH) in Region 8 is urging the public to keep their surroundings clean after noting the rise in cases of typhoid fever, especially in Leyte province’s four towns. DoH 8 Nurse Boyd Cerro said the cases of typhoid fever in the towns of Carigara, Capoocan, Tunga, and Barugo have become alarming, with Carigara registering 102 affected residents.
The health department has also noted the rising number of patients with typhoid fever confined in a hospital in Tacloban City, aside from district hospitals in the said four towns. The DoH, however, has not received reports of deaths due to typhoid fever.
Based on the initial investigation launched by the DoH, it was found out that the water sources of the said towns are contaminated with the bacterium causing typhoid fever. Cerro said residents should boil their water before drinking it to prevent getting the disease.
(ProMED 1/10/2012)