The Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC) will send a medical team and medical supplies to Sultan Kudarat where suspected cases of cholera have risen from 147 to 156.
In a press conference yesterday, Sen. Richard Gordon, PNRC chairman, said that as of yesterday the outbreak had killed at least 19 residents in three isolated villages in Palimbang, Sultan Kudarat.
Dr. Carmencita Banatin, director of the Health Emergency Management Services of the Department of Health, said the epidemic started last July 30 but was only reported to the DOH head office in Manila on Aug. 1.
Banatin said 12 patients are still being treated in the municipal hospital.
“We might say that it is more or less contained but there are still a few cases. What is important is we continue to educate the people as cases could still rise if not properly managed,” she said.
DOH medical experts said water samples from the affected villages are currently being tested to confirm if the disease is indeed cholera.
The PNRC and DOH said they have sent water purification tablets to the affected areas as early as Aug. 2.
Gordon, meanwhile, urged residents to practice proper hygiene to prevent further spread of the disease. – Helen Flores