Magalong says diarrhea outbreak finally over in Baguio City

Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong INQUIRER file photo / NEIL CLARK ONGCHANGCO

MANILA, Philippines — Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong declared on Thursday that the diarrhea outbreak in the City of Pines is officially over.

Magalong also said that Baguio is now shifting to the endemic level, where the cases of diarrhea are back to normal numbers.

“This morning we had a meeting with the Department of Health [DOH] officials and with the epidemiological bureau of the DOH, and we had a very extensive discussion on the epidemiologic investigation of the outbreak,” Magalong said in an Ugnayang Panlungsod forum.

“As a result of that, we can now confidently say that we are now officially out of the woods. We are now shifting to the endemic phase, where diarrhea cases are back to normal rate,” he declared.

They were also able to determine the cause of the outbreak during the said meeting.

“We were also able to, one way or another, let’s say, 80 percent, determine the cause of the outbreak. We have identified, one way or another, the cause and how it spread,” he said.

Meanwhile, Baguio City Health Services Officer Dr. Celia Flor Brilliantes said that there has really been a diarrhea outbreak in the city starting December 20, 2023 to January 13, 2024.

But the patients under the “case control study” were from December 26, 2023, to January 13, 2024, and were attributed to a waterborne source.

“We had human sample tested positive for norovirus,” Brilliantes said.

READ: Gastroenteritis outbreak in Baguio City ‘officially contained’ – DOH exec

“However, bacterial culture is still ongoing, and it cannot still be ruled out for bacterial pathogens,” she added.

But she also noted that since it is already past the incubation period and diarrhea cases are significantly going down, they can officially declare that the outbreak is indeed over.

READ: Gastroenteritis outbreak declared in Baguio

She likewise added that there have been no reported clustered cases from January 7 to 8, which was the peak season of the outbreak.

The DOH, on the other hand, said that it recognizes the declaration of Magalong regarding the outbreak.

“Section 7 of Republic Act No. 11332 empowers local government units through their respective health offices to declare outbreaks within their respective localities based on sufficient scientific evidence. The DOH recognizes this authority of Mayor Magalong to make such declarations for Baguio City,” it said in a message sent to reporters.