Cholera kills 1, downs 16 in Vizcaya village

SOLANO, Nueva Vizcaya — A resident of an upland village here, populated by mostly tribal folk, has died and at least 16 others are suffering from what is believed to be cholera.

Solano councilor Regie Valino-Valdez, who heads the municipal council’s health committee, said local health officials are now investigating the incident following reports that an alarmingly growing number of residents in Barangay Commonal, the remotest barangay here, are affected.

Noel Balaho, the barangay’s Sangguniang Kabataan head, said the illness could be due to the reported contamination of water springs, which are the sources of drinking water for the more than 5,000 residents of the mountain village, about 20 kilometers from the town proper.

Balaho confirmed the death of a 24-year-old resident, a certain Nestor Buhang, and that at least 16 other villagers, the youngest of whom is 17 years old, are confined in hospitals here and in Bayombong.

Former school teacher Dionisio Bungihan, who hails from the remote village, said there were also unconfirmed reports that more residents in isolated parts of Barangay Commonal were suffering from stomach and muscle pain, fever, dizziness and frequent vomiting.