6,725 people in evacuation centers now suffering from diseases

MANILA, Philippines - Health Secretary Francisco Duque III reported yesterday that some 6,725 persons in evacuation centers are now suffering from common diseases like upper respiratory tract infection, skin infection, diarrhea and minor injuries in the wake of tropical storm “Ondoy” and typhoon “Pepeng.”

Duque, however, assured the public that there is no outbreak of disease in any of the evacuation centers.

“We cannot say that there is a possible outbreak of diseases in evacuation centers as these patients comprise less than one percent of the more than 300,000 evacuees,” Duque said at a regular health forum in Quezon City organized by the Philippine College of Physicians.

Duque said the Department of Health’s medical teams continue to monitor the situation in several evacuation centers, adding that they provide free immunization for pregnant women and children below five years old.

Duque also continued to encourage mothers to breastfeed their babies instead of feeding them with formula milk, since water may not be safe in many areas which are still flooded.

The DOH and the Department of Social Welfare and Development have deployed doctors to conduct stress debriefing for evacuees after reports that some flood victims have developed hydrophobia, or the fear of water.

More than 70,000 families remained in evacuation centers in Metro Manila and nearby provinces where floodwaters have not yet subsided.

Duque said 100 of the 200 patients at the Limbahan Resettlement Center in Marilao, Bulacan were suffering from diarrhea.

“Our local health officer there has informed me that there was a 50-percent rise in diarrhea cases in the resettlement area,” Duque said during the launching of the joint RP-United Nations Flash Appeal for international aid held at Sofitel Hotel in Pasay City.

Duque said that of the 500 evacuation centers being used by displaced residents, only 240 portable toilets have been installed.

Meanwhile, a breastfeeding advocate expressed concern yesterday over the possible outbreak of diarrhea in evacuation centers due to mothers feeding their babies with infant formula or cow’s milk.

Dr. Maria Asuncion Silvestre, head of University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital’s (UP-PGH) Lactation Unit and Human Milk Bank, said that even under normal circumstances, formula-fed babies are 10 times likely to develop diarrhea.

“You magnify that problem in a congested environment like evacuation centers, you can just imagine what can happen. Some bacteria can escape sterilization procedures,” she told The STAR.

The UP-PGH and the volunteer group UP-Pahinungod and other concerned organizations recently sought donations of human milk to assist mothers in evacuation centers and were able to collect some 100 liters of breast milk, benefiting mothers in Kabisig Elementary School in Cainta, Rizal. – With Jaime Laude and Sheila Crisostomo