Outbreak of water-borne diseases feared after floods

By Freddie G. Lazaro

TUGUEGARAO CITY-- Local health officials raised a warning Tuesday against water-borne diseases in Cagayan region and other areas of North Luzon that had been hit by floods in recent weeks.

Regional offices of the Department of Health told provinces to take extra precautions on possible widespread incidence of water-borne diseases such as diarrhea and leptospirosis even after floodwaters had subsided.

Dr. Carlos Cortina, Cagayan’s Assistant Provincial Health Officer, said their office is on alert on possible occurrence of diarrhea after the flooding.

“Actually, we already dispatched our well – trained workers in the different Rural Health Units in all provinces affected in Cagayan Valley region to conduct surveillance activities preventing the outbreak of any water-borne diseases while we are also conducting massive information campaign to the affected communities,” he said.

He advised residents to practice the proper hygene in handling of foods to eat.

“I am advising those residents in the flood affected areas to boil drinking water and avoid eating spoiled and left over foods as well as wash your hands before eating meals,” he said.

He said the province had included chlorinate water in affected communities to protect the residents from any water –borne diseases.

Earlier, the Cagayan Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council said at least eleven persons from Solana town had been hospitalized because of symptoms associated with diarrhea after drinking contaminated water.

Meanwhile, as of Tuesday, records from the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council showed the validated number of families affected by flashfloods and landslides from the 541 barangays of 46 towns and 2 cities in six provinces of Regions 2, 3 and CAR were 107, 452 or 540,673 persons.

Of the number affected, 92,486 families or 374,256 persons were served inside and outside evacuation centers.

As of press time, a total of 967 families or 4,904 persons, who are still staying in the 22 evacuation centers, and 32,365 families or 124, 104 persons stay outside the evacuation centers or those who sought refuge either at their friends or relatives’ houses are still being served.

On agricultural crops and fishery damages initially reported from the three regions due to flashfloods and landslides as recorded by the NDRRMC revealed a total of P404.752 million.

In Region 2, at least 30,092 hectares of palay and corn were damaged in Isabela and Cagayan: (5,597 hectares totally and 24,495 hectares partially) with estimated losses pegged at P313,749,207 or 15.169 metric tons while 641,187 kg or an estimated 7,717,270 pieces of fingerings and marketable fish and 294.53 hectares of fishponds were destroyed with an estimated cost of P88,564,213 in Cagayan, Isabela and Nueva Vizcaya.