Diarrhea kills 13-yr-old girl, downs 57 in E. Samar

PALO,Leyte — A diarrhea outbreak in Barangay Palanas, Salcedo Eastern,Samar has resulted to the death of a 13-year-old girl and the hospitalization of 53 and four other cases were treated at their respective homes, health authotirites here reported yesterday.

Bhoyd Cerro, sentinel nurse of the Department of Health regional office here told The Star that contaminated drinking water was a possible cause of the said outbreak.

"We are doing our best to immediately contain the spread of the disease" Cerro told The Star.

Cerro said that in an initial investigation conducted by the representatives of Eastern Samar provincial health office said that contaminated drinking water sourced from improvised spring and open dug wells could be the culprit of the diarrhea outbrek.

"These are the common sources of drinking water for the entire village, which supplies the households through faucets, aside from the fact that the surroundings of the water is dirty," Cerro said.

The DOH regional epidemiology and surveillance unit conducted an information drive through health education for the people in the community not to drink water from their sources without boling or putting chlorine in it.

Cerro said the outbreak of diarrhea in Barangay Palanas, Salcedo town was first noted a week ago, and the disease had claimed the life of a 13-year-old girl. A seven-month-old baby boy was the youngest and a 65-year-old woman was the oldest of those who were affected by diarrhea, the report said.

"The 57 cases were mostly children," he said. — Miriam Garcia Desacada