P’sinan diseases up; health office on alert
>> Tuesday, August 22, 2023
LINGAYEN, Pangasinan -- The Provincial Health Office here has noted an increase in foodborne and waterborne diseases this year in Pangasinan province.
In its weekly surveillance updates covering the period between January 1 and August 14 this year, the PHO said that there were 4,809 cases of acute gastroenteritis reported in the province, an increase of 17.3 percent compared to 4,100 cases during the same period last year.
There was also a 14.8 percent rise in the number of people who suffered from typhoid fever from 88 cases in 2022 to 101 cases in the same period this year.
Leptospirosis reached 26 cases, slightly up by 4 percent from the 25 cases reported during the same period last year.
Only the number of dengue fever cases went down this year — by 36 percent — from 1,714 cases in 2022 to 1,090 cases this year.
Dr. Anna Maria Teresa de Guzman, provincial health officer, said that the challenge for her office now is to stop people from dying of acute gastroenteritis.
Acute gastroenteritis occurs when contaminated food or water is consumed. Some of its symptoms are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain.
This year 15 people, most of them children ages 1 to 4, had died because of the disease.
Although this number is lower than the 23 deaths recorded from January 1 to August 14 last year, de Guzman said her office had been conducting aggressive information campaigns on hygiene and proper food preparation in the different parts of the province to prevent more people from getting sick.
In its weekly surveillance updates covering the period between January 1 and August 14 this year, the PHO said that there were 4,809 cases of acute gastroenteritis reported in the province, an increase of 17.3 percent compared to 4,100 cases during the same period last year.
There was also a 14.8 percent rise in the number of people who suffered from typhoid fever from 88 cases in 2022 to 101 cases in the same period this year.
Leptospirosis reached 26 cases, slightly up by 4 percent from the 25 cases reported during the same period last year.
Only the number of dengue fever cases went down this year — by 36 percent — from 1,714 cases in 2022 to 1,090 cases this year.
Dr. Anna Maria Teresa de Guzman, provincial health officer, said that the challenge for her office now is to stop people from dying of acute gastroenteritis.
Acute gastroenteritis occurs when contaminated food or water is consumed. Some of its symptoms are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain.
This year 15 people, most of them children ages 1 to 4, had died because of the disease.
Although this number is lower than the 23 deaths recorded from January 1 to August 14 last year, de Guzman said her office had been conducting aggressive information campaigns on hygiene and proper food preparation in the different parts of the province to prevent more people from getting sick.
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