Sanitation measures in evacuation centers pushed

WITH the influx of evacuees from the typhoon-affected areas to Cebu, the National Institute for Health (NIH) is pushing for medical interventions and information drive on proper sanitation and hygiene in evacuation centers.

NIH executive director Vicente Belizario Jr., who tackled journal research in a workshop on Wednesday at the University of the Philippines (UP) Cebu College, said people in evacuation centers must be aware how to handle tropical diseases.

Belizario said tropical diseases like schistosomiasis are very common in Leyte and Samar, areas hardest-hit by Yolanda, and “we should deworm the babies and children coming from these areas.”

Schistosomiasis is a chronic disease caused by parasitic worms that live in freshwater snails. Its symptoms include abdominal pain, cough, diarrhea, fever, fatigue and enlargement of both liver and spleen.

“Bata ang high risk since careless sila (The children are at high risk (of developing the disease) since they are careless),” said Belizario.

He said medical interventions should be done to evacuees.

“We should not let the diseases spread in evacuation centers. People manning these evacuation centers can work with the local government to vaccinate and deworm the evacuees. They can also educate the evacuees about proper hygiene and sanitation through film showing,” he said.

Belizario was in UP College Cebu last Wednesday to conduct a workshop for professors in doing journal articles on health related issues. /correspondent Apple Ta-as