Bacolod City – The Provincial Health Office reported recently that cholera cases in Negros Occidental have risen to 17, with deaths remaining at two.
Talisay City joins Silay City and EB Magalona with five cases each, and one each case in Victorias City and Calatrava.
The two cholera-related deaths were reported in EB Magalona and Silay City.
A cholera outbreak was earlier declared by Mayor Marvin Malacon in three the barangays of Tanza, Batea and Poblacion 3 of EB Magalona, Negros Occidental.
Actions taken by the PHO includes weekly surveillance of possible cases from all hospitals and local government units, investigation of suspected and confirmed cases, providing recommendations for outbreak declarations of LGUs that have reached the criteria for epidemic, and sending water samples to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) for water sampling analysis, among others.
Cholera is an acute diarrheal illness caused by infection of the intestine with Vibrio cholerae bacteria. People can get sick when they swallow food or water contaminated with cholera bacteria. (Gilbert Bayoran via The Visayan Daily Star (TVDS), photo courtesy of TVDS)