"Shigella
flaxneri," the bacteria that has killed at least four and downed over 400
residents of Loon town over the past two weeks has reached epidemic proportions.
According
to the Department of Health (DOH) Region 7 officials who are in Loon to conduct
full-scale medical operations, the occurrence of such widespread bacterial dysentery
called shigellosis maybe the first time in the country.
Four
have been confirmed to have died from the disease.
Marjorielyn
Saldaña, 20-years old of barangay Badbad died Friday night after being
discharged from the Cong. Natalio Castillo Hospital Hospital.
The
three others were 3-year old Leah Lampara of barangay Cogon Norte, 57-year old
Paz Marson of barangay Basak and 58-year old Arcadia Piyos of barangay Sondol. | | | DOH
- Region 7 Director Dr. Susana Madarieta told the Chronicle yesterday that there
have been cases of shigellosis outbreaks in the past but not as massive and unusual
as the one plaguing Loon.
Forty-four
of Loon's 67 barangays are now affected with the bacterial outbreak, according
to DOH assistant regional director Dr. Lakshimi Legaspi, in a separate interview
with the Chronicle.
As
of yesterday, there were 82 confined at the Cong. Natalio Castillo Hospital with
19 new admittances. |
The
DOH, which have been suspecting amoebiasis in the past days as the cause of the
outbreak, is now distributing the exact medicines for the bacterial disease after
the Research Institute of Tropical Medicine (RITM) released results of stool and
water samples taken from victims and water sources in the coastal town yesterday.
Legaspi
said the Loon dysentery outbreak is also the first major contagion since 1990's
typhoid epidemic in Balamban, Cebu City.
Simultaneous
barangay assemblies were organized yesterday to infiltrate ten of the worst hit
barangays as 17 teams from the DOH's regional, provincial and municipal offices
were deployed to conduct health advisories and distribute household chlorination
solutions to treat their drinking water.
The
other affected areas will be their next target, Legaspi bared.
She
said that 85% of those confined at the Cong. Natalio Castillo Hospital and Gov.
Celestino
Gallares Memorial Hospital were afflicted with shigellosis based on the rectal
swabs examined by the RITM. A second batch of stool and water samples were taken
last Monday.
Legaspi
clarified that although the admittances have been declining, they could not yet
say that the situation is under control as long as they have not reached all the
households in the affected areas.
CHARACTERISTICS
OF SHIGELLOSIS
According
to the DOH officials, shigellosis, like amoebiasis is caused by human wastes that
would seep into water sources or reservoirs contaminating drinking water if the
chlorination facility of the local waterworks is defective.
However,
shigellosis can be transmitted person-to-person which makes it more deadly than
amoebiasis.
Those
afflicted with the disease show a common characteristic of mucoid-bloody stools
accompanied by fever, vomiting and diarrhea.
DOH
INVESTIGATION
Regional
health officials reviewed cases of diarrhea in Loon for the past months to investigate
how the spread of the disease started.
Although
the occurrence of long periods of rainfall could trigger high cases of bacillary
dysentery, according to Legaspi, they are trying to look into water sources as
there were reports that high levels of coliform have already been detected in
water samples in the town's waterworks sources as early as December last year.
However,
Legaspi said it is not the time to blame anyone but instead laud the all-out support
given by local government officials in addressing the situation. | 
