Typhoid outbreak kills one in Borbon: Over 200 others treated in hospitals

A woman has died and over 200 people, mostly children, have been treated in the hospital as a typhoid fever outbreak hit the northern town of Borbon town since two weeks ago.

Some of the victims were brought to the nearby Juan Dosado Memorial Hospital in Sogod town, but the attending physician allowed them to go home after examination.

Some however had to be brought to the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu City for treatment.

Borbon Mayor Neil Vergara told The Freeman that the lone fatality was a resident of barangay Sagay, which is 75 kilometers from Cebu City.

Typhoid fever is usually contracted through food or water.

There are reports of another fatality in the same barangay, but Mayor Vergara said he still has to verify this.

The mayor said most of the cases were monitored in barangays Poblacion, Cadaruhan, Tabunan, Sagay, and Laaw.

Vergara said, in barangay Cadaruhan alone more than 100 cases were reported to the municipal health office since last week.

"Mao gyud nga nagrabehan pag-ayo ang barangay Cadaruhan gumikan kay daghan man ang walay mga kasilyas diha sa maong lugar ingon man tubig sad nga ilang giinom gikan sa atabay (barangay Candaruhan is worst hit since the people there do not have toilets and they drink water from an open well)," said the mayor.

Renan Cimafranca, head of the Regional Epidemiology Unit of the Department of Health regional office confirmed the outbreak of typhoid fever in different barangays of Borbon town two weeks ago.

According to Cimafranca, they confirmed that the people suffered from typhoid fever after they found Salmonella Typhusa, the bacteria which causes the disease, during the blood culture examination of the patients.

However, Cimafranca said they are still waiting for the results of the tests from water samples taken from the different artesian wells in the town to pinpoint the source of the disease.

The DOH has already issued a health advisory on how to prevent typhoid fever by urging people to boil their drinking water for at least 15 minutes.

Borbon Councilor Roy Melgo said, the municipal council will be holding a special session tomorrow to tackle the outbreak of typhoid fever.

According to Melgo, Mayor Vergara called the special session and also invited the barangay captains and officials of the Department of Health so they can thoroughly address the matter.

The municipal council is expected to pass a resolution declaring the affected barangays as calamity areas to allow the release of financial assistance to the victims.

Melgo said, most of those confined at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center have received medical assistance from the office of Fifth district Rep. Ramon 'Red' Durano VI.