NV town in calamity state due to typhoid outbreak

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya – A mountain town in the eastern part of the province has been under a state of calamity, especially in one of its extremely remote villages as a result of last week’s outbreak of typhoid fever with more than 100 residents already affected with the illness. 

However, according to the provincial health office, the outbreak at Sitio Logpon in Barangay Kongkong, Kasibu town has since abated as a result of the provincial government’s immediate response to the situation, which was later discovered to have been caused generally by contaminated water sources. 

Dr. Edwin Galapon, PHO officer-in-charge yesterday said that last Monday’s move of the Kasibu municipal council to place the far-flung mountain village in a state of calamity was intended to enable it to utilize its 20 percent calamity fund for the further prevention of similar occurrences to take place.

Galapon said that the provincial government has already spent more than P200,000 for the immediate control of the outbreak, including provisions of medicines and transport of some of the victims to hospitals here as well as the conduct of preventive measures to contain the further spread of such illness.

“We have so far controlled the outbreak through chlorinating the community’s water sources found to be positive for E. coli, as well as providing residents with water-sealed toilet bowls to replace the open pits commonly used in their areas, “ Galapon said. 

Although the outbreak in Sitio Logpon has so far been controlled, he said there was still a possibility that the illness may break out once again, thus the need to conduct sustained health information and education campaigns in the area and nearby villages. 

Logpon residents, mostly from the indigenous tribes, get their drinking water from open springs, which lately had been contaminated with feces coming from the open pit latrines, causing the spread of E. coli, a kind of bacteria which causes various illnesses such as amoebiasis, diarrhea and typhoid fever.

“Actually the case in Sitio Logpon was a case of mixed infection of typhoid fever and amoebiasis brought about by the unclean water sources. Blood tests on the residents in the area had shown them to be positive of typhoid fever,” Galapon said. 

Last week, 50 of the 103 residents reported to have been affected with typhoid fever in the area were confined at the Kasibu district hospital and the Nueva Vizcaya provincial hospital in nearby Bambang town for treatment, “but they have all been cleared now.”

Health experts said that typhoid fever, also known as enteric fever, is commonly transmitted through ingestion of food or water contaminated with feces from an infected person.  

The E. coli bacteria or bacterium Salmonella enterica serovar typhi then multiply through the blood stream and are absorbed into the digestive tract. A person infected with it normally experience prolonged high fever, profuse sweating, gastroenteritis and diarrhea and skin rashes.