TACLOBAN CITY - At least twelve municipalities in Typhoon 'Odette' ravaged province of Southern Leyte tested positive for E. coli bacteria, prompting the Department of Health Eastern Visayas - Center for Health Development calls for aid to provide safe water for drinking.
DOH calls for urgent support from both individual and group efforts, including national, regional, provincial, and municipal water districts.
The agency recommends aid from Water Districts like Maynilad, or any municipal-run water facility to provide safe or quality water to the said municipalities.
Meantime, they urge the residents to boil water for at least three minutes or treat water with chlorine stock solutions.
Based on their recent water assessment, which determines the safety of drinking water per household, including all water refilling stations, the municipalities of Sogod, Bontoc, Tomas Oppus, Malitbog, Padre Burgos, Macrohon, Liloan, San Ricardo, Libagon, St. Bernard, Hinundayan, and Anahawan are contaminated with Escherichia Coliform.
As of January 14, DOH-8 has logged at least 50 cases of acute watery diarrhea in 9 municipalities and Maasin City.
However, Dr. Marc Steven Capungcol from Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit, clarified that there is no clustering of cases in said areas.
He added that the cases are isolated and there are no reported admissions due to diarrhea.
Most of the cases are children ages 1 to 4, 11-20, and 60 years old above.
Aside from diarrhea, they have also monitored cases of upper respiratory tract infections.