Residents told: Don't panic over unconfirmed typhoid

CEBU, Philippines - The Regional Epidemiology Surveillance Unit of the Department of Health-7 has advised residents of Sogod not to panic over the reported cases of typhoid fever in the town.

Doctor Dino Caing, RESU-7 medical chief, said they have yet to confirm if the six patients brought to the town district hospital indeed contracted typhoid fever pending laboratory results of the stool and blood specimens taken from them. The patients are all aged below one year old.

"The complaint kay sakit ang tiyan unya hilanat. It could be typhoid and it could be dengue, so dili angay ikaguol kay unconfirmed pa man," said Caing.

The DOH-7 has advised the town's Rural Health Unit to observe the patients and coordinate with the hospital for further assessment.

Typhoid fever is a common bacterial disease transmitted by ingesting food or water contaminated with feces or from an infected person, who has the bacteria. Symptoms are fever, cough, bloody nose (epistaxis), and abdominal pains.

Last July, a typhoid outbreak was declared in the town of Borbon after RESU-7 recorded 82 cases. The patients were confined at Borbon District Hospital and at Juan Dosado Memorial Hospital in Sogod.

The outbreak was lifted after the victims were treated with antibiotics.— Ria Mae Y. Booc/NSA (FREEMAN)