Gastro cases reach 672

Five more residents of the Foreshore area in Tondo, Manila were rushed to the hospitals yesterday due to acute gastroenteritis, a report from the Department of Health (DOH) showed.

This brings to 672 the number of Foreshore residents who have suffered from severe vomiting and diarrhea since Oct. 23.

According to DOH Secretary Manuel Dayrit, the outbreak of gastroenteritis cases in Foreshore had already been contained but they still expect cases to trickle in the coming days.

Dayrit said the disease outbreak was bound to happen in Foreshore because of the presence of leaking pipes and illegal connections there and the sanitary practices of the residents.

"The environment there makes it conducive for diseases to break out. It’s an epidemic waiting to happen," he noted.

Residents started experiencing profuse vomiting and diarrhea after the Maynilad Water Services Inc. allegedly lowered the pressure of water in Foreshore last month.

To curb the outbreak, Maynilad has increased the pressure and the chlorination of the water supply there. The company also repaired the leaking water pipes and disconnected the illegal connections through which contaminants were believed to have seeped into the pipes.

Tests conducted on the water samples collected from Foreshore revealed the presence of human waste in the water.

In an inspection in the area recently, Dayrit has urged residents to observe personal hygiene and purify their own drinking water to prevent the outbreak from being repeated.

He maintained that the residents could boil the water or do the chlorination themselves.

An update released by the DOH showed that four of the five new cases were rushed to the Mary Johnston Hospital while the other one was brought to the Tondo Medical Center.

And of the 672 cases, only 40 patients remain confined mostly in Gat Andres Hospital and Mary Johnston Hospital.

But Dr. Carmencita Solis, head of the Manila Health Department’s Planning division, said gastroenteritis is a "normal occurrence" in Tondo area.

Solis added this is why the city government has been conducting an education campaign in the area to lead the residents about proper sanitation and proper hygiene.