188 downed by diarrhea in Basilan capital

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines – A new outbreak of diarrhea has stricken 188 people in Isabela City in Basilan from May 1 to 23, the city’s health officer said.

Dr. Rafael Cabug said that 164 of those stricken were hospitalized while the rest received treatment as outpatients.

It was the second diarrhea outbreak in Isabela City.

In March, 180 people were hospitalized in a week’s time. Two of the patients later died.

Cabug said the authorities suspected that contaminated water from the city’s water provider caused the outbreak.

“There were instances in the past that water samples yielded … diarrhea-causing organisms,” he said.

Cabug said they submitted fresh water samples for testing following the rise in diarrhea cases and the result could be released a few days from now.

In Zamboanga City, the local health office reported that from January to April, at least 1,823 cases of diarrhea were recorded, up by more than 500 compared to the same period last year.

But city health officer, Dr. Rodelin Agbulos, said there was no need to declare an outbreak because “so far it is not.”

Agbulos said they too had water samples tested.

“We are still waiting for the results,” he said.