Beware of summer diseases, public told

MANILA, Philippines - Doctors are warning the public against the prevalence of summer diseases like diarrhea and sore eyes as temperatures are expected to be warmer than average during the dry season due to the El Niño phenomenon.

Dr. Abundio Balgos, a professor at the University of the Philippines’ College of Medicine, said Filipinos may experience inadequate supply of safe drinking water during the summer season because there is no enough supply of water in major dams.

Water firms have warned that Metro Manila residents could face a dry summer with water levels at Angat Dam, the metropolis’ primary source, currently below normal and likely to fall further due to the El Niño event.

Balgos said the lack of safe drinking water may trigger a rise in diarrhea cases.

He added that excessive exposure to sunlight can cause sun burn and heat stroke.

“They should avoid too much exposure to sun and they should drink a lot of fluids,” Balgos told a regular health forum organized by the Philippine College of Physicians in Quezon City.

Nathaniel Cruz, deputy administrator of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), said the summer season might start as early as mid-February.

He said Pagasa is anticipating an early onset of summer in the country and a dry season that will be “hotter than usual.”

He warned of the possibility of temperatures rising and staying at 36 degrees Celsius over several days, which would be dangerous.

El Niño is the unusual warming of the ocean temperatures in the Equatorial Pacific. It is characterized by below normal rainfall.

Cruz had said that most of the major dams in Luzon are having below-than-normal water levels.