TACLOBAN CITY – The city government on Thursday, Oct. 27, declared a cholera outbreak here after ten confirmed cases were recorded at the Eastern Visayas Medical Center (EVMC).
The Department of Health-Eastern Visayas said 192 cases were recorded and 70 patients have been confined due to acute watery diarrhea as of Wednesday, Oct. 26.
There were four fatalities – a three-month-old baby boy from Barangay 91; a 12-year-old boy from Barangay 106; and a 71-year-old and 61-year-old from Barangay 39 Calvary Hill.
Seventy stool specimens have been sent to EVMC. Forty were examined and 10 tested positive in the cholera culture test. Eight patients are from Barangay 106 and one each from Barangays 105 and 103.
Dr. Danilo Ecarma, Tacloban City Health Officer, said most of the confirmed cases tested positive for e.coli and coliform.
The city government suspended the operation of a private water distributor after most of the patients sourced their water from them.
Water samples from 56 water refilling stations here were also taken for water quality monitoring assessment by the DOH.