DOH probes typhoid fever cases in Cavite

The Department of Health (DOH) has begun investigating a report that 37 residents in a barangay in Bacoor, Cavite have fallen ill to typhoid fever since Dec. 4.

Health Secretary Manuel Dayrit said health experts in Southern Tagalog were looking into the report of the municipal health office of Bacoor on a supposed outbreak of typhoid fever at Mary Home Subdivision in Barangay Molino.

"It was a report of the local health office there. The DOH is still looking into it," he said.

Typhoid fever is caused by salmonella typhi bacteria. It is usually transmitted through ingestion of food and water contaminated with human waste.

The symptoms of typhoid fever include sustained high fever, headache, weakness, loss of appetite, diarrhea or constipation, and abdominal discomfort.

The disease can be prevented by boiling drinking water, thoroughly washing vegetables and fruits, cooking food well and avoiding street foods.

In a report, Dr. David Lozada, the DOH’s Southern Tagalog director, said seven of the 37 ill residents of Barangay Molino were rushed to the Metro South Hospital, while the rest were brought to the Las Piñas District Hospital and other hospitals in Metro Manila.

Dayrit said his department’s disease experts were checking if the patients were, indeed, afflicted with typhoid fever and what could have possibly caused the outbreak.