Muntinlupa reports 21 hepatitis cases

A total of 21 squatter residents, who were earlier displaced from their homes before returning to a barangay in Muntinlupa City, have contracted the hepatitis virus, according to city officials.

Dr. Magdalena Meana, Muntinlupa City health officer, said their local Epidemiology Surveillance Unit recorded 21 cases of hepatitis in Barangay Poblacion situated near the New Bilibid Prisons (NBP) compound.

The three-page health report showed that out of 21 patients, eight were from Purok Magdaong, six from the NBP poultry, three from Sitio Mapalad, two from Sitio Pagasa 2 and one each from the DARE Building and the Medium Area.

The city health office said they have not yet received the results of tests to determine whether affected residents had Hepatitis A or B.

Viral hepatitis is a condition characterized by inflammation of the liver and is transmitted through ingestion of contaminated food and water. The flies in the area might have carried the virus to food and water.

Meana explained the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor), the agency in charge of Purok Magdaong, often demolishes unauthorized structures in the area, which has been illegally converted into a housing area for some 156 families.

BuCor teams often conduct demolition operations in this area, the latest of which took place Nov. 11 last year.

Even if their homes had been destroyed, several families continue to return and set up new structures.

"When the teams tore down their houses, they also destroyed their toilet bowls. So the families use the open hole, left from the bowls. They are then exposed to a very unhealthy environment," Meana said.

Ages of the 21 patients range from three to 17. Only six are male. Many of them showed the following symptoms: tea-colored urine, abdominal pains, discolored eyes, loss of appetite, vomiting and fever.

"So far we have not noted any clustering of hepatitis in other barangays. We have already controlled the situation. We plan to coordinate with the urban poor office of the local government to help us disseminate information on proper hygienic practices among the residents," Meana said.

To prevent the recurrence of the problem, they also recommended that the Poblacion Health Center organize a community assembly and stress the importance of proper hygiene and clean environments. The city government also eyes the distribution of health advisories to affected communities; continuous disease surveillance, advising residents to boil their drinking water, conducting monthly water sampling and home visitations. – Evelyn Macairan