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DOH sends epidemiologists for San Carlos City amoebiases surge

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• GILBERT P. BAYORAN

A team of epidemiologists from the Department of Health is reinforcing the DOH regional team dispatched in San Carlos City, Negros Occidental, to help address cases of amoebiases in the concerned local government unit, disclosed DOH WV regional director Adriano Suba-an yesterday.

Suba-an said that the six epidemiologists from DOH central office who will be joining the DOH regional office team, were dispatched to San Carlos City on February 22, and are now being briefed at the regional office on the status of amoebiases cases.

A state of health emergency has been declared by Mayor Renato Gustilo in San Carlos City, due to the rapid increase of amoebiasis cases.

However, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire stressed on Tuesday that the LGU has to go through DOH to seek guidance, before they can declare a state of health emergency.

Based on the reports of San Carlos City Hospital, it recorded 268 amoebiases and acute gastroenteritis (AGE), that were admitted to the hospital from February 1 to March 1, this year.

As of yesterday, 58 amoebiases patients and 28 AGE patients are still confined in the same hospital, the report added.

The water samples taken from residences of amoebiasis patients, the main line of the water district, and deep wells, and unidentified bacteria was discovered, based on the unofficial results of the in-house laboratory testing by the San Carlos City government. Samples have been sent to a diagnostic laboratory in Bacolod City for validation and confirmation, with results expected to be known Friday.

Amoebiasis, or amoebic dysentery, is an infection of the intestines caused by a parasitic amoeba Entamoeba histolytica. Symptoms may include lethargy, loss of weight, colonic ulcerations, abdominal pain, diarrhea, or bloody diarrhea.

Gustilo, in Executive Order 79 dated February 22, ordered all barangay captains to coordinate with their respective barangay health workers to conduct “rekurida” for public awareness.

The safest way to avoid amoebiasis is to use boiled water for drinking, he stressed.*

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