Cholera cases 282% higher than in 2021 – DOH

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire speaks during the Department of Health’s online media forum on Monday, Sept. 20, 2021. (File photo  from DOH video from its Facebook account)

MANILA, Philippines —The cholera cases nationwide from Jan. 1 to Oct. 11 this year are 282 percent higher this year than the cases recorded in the same period in 2021, Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, the officer in charge of the Department of Health (DOH), said in a press briefing on Tuesday.

The cases in the periods compared rose from 976 to 3,729 cases, according to Vergeire.

Most of the cases were reported in Eastern Visayas, Davao Region, and Caraga Region.

A total of 33 people have also died since January this year due to the disease.

The group most commonly affected by cholera are those children aged five to nine and the most common cause of infection is unsafe drinking water.

“We know that it’s the rainy season. Many areas will be flooded. Many will go to evacuation centers. And because of this kind of calamities, our water systems are mostly affected always,” Vergeire said.

Some provinces in the country like Iloilo City were put under a state of calamity amid a surge in cholera.

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