8 die in diarrhea outbreak in Sulu town

COTABATO CITY, Philippines — A diarrhea outbreak in three barangays in Pata town in Sulu has left eight villagers dead and 200 sick. 

Dr. Kadil Sinolinding, Jr., regional Health secretary of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, said Monday responding department staff managed to fully contain the outbreak over the weekend after several days of operation.

He said the problem was caused by the contamination of the wells where residents of Barangays Sangkap, Likud and Kanjarrang get water for drinking and cooking.

Sinolinding, who led a team dispatched by ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman to Pata last week, said they found rubbish in the bottom of the wells.

"Villagers do their washing and urination within the immediate peripheries of the wells," Sinolinding told The STAR via mobile phone on Monday morning.

The first cases of diarrhea in the municipality, about a dozen, were reported in the last week of March.

"There is no means of fast communication linking the municipality and the Sulu provincial center. That worsened the problem," Sinolinding said.

Sinolinding, who supervised treatment of the diarrhea patients, said eight Pata residents perished due to severe dehydration while 56 others were confined in hospitals, now recuperating.

Sinolinding said 164 others were also treated as outpatients

He said he is thankful to Gen. Cirilito Sobejana of the Army-led anti-terror Task Force Sulu and all Special Forces and Marine units under his command that supported their medical mission to Pata.

Sinolinding said they have sealed all the contaminated wells. "Hand pumps shall be installed on top of the now covered wells to siphon water from the bottom of the wells," he said.

The department will also conduct laboratory tests on the water from the wells.

Hataman said Monday that Engineer Don Loong, ARMM Public Works secretary, will construct water supply facilities in Pata to prevent a repeat of the diarrhea outbreak.

Pata is a poor town in the underdeveloped and troubled Sulu province, where absenteeism among elected local officials is blamed for much of the area's socio-economic and security problems.

The island province is also a known bastion of the Islamic State-inspired Abu Sayyaf group, which is known for kidnappings and beheadings.