DAVAO CITY — The City Health Office here on Friday July 29, has declared the diarrhea outbreak in Toril District over as the monitoring shoed the number of cases are decreasing.
Acting City Health Officer Ashley Lopez in an interview with the city-owned Davao Disaster radio announced “After a week of having the same trend, and with the approval and permission of our City Mayor, Honorable Sebastian Duterte, with the powers vested in me as the Officer-in-Charge of the City Health Office, I can officially declare and announce that the diarrhea outbreak in Toril is now over,.”
Following the announcement the health office lifted the suspension order imposed among street vendors selling street foods which took effect Friday at 10:00 in the morning.
“Food borne,” Lopez emphasized, as the cause. The street food eaten by the the 217 patients since July 21, resulted to the outbreak, Lopez said on the same radio program.
A press statement released by the City Information Office stated that the investigations revealed that the food consumed by the victims may have been contaminated during preparation and handling by an infected handler/s. It was also found that improper storage, delayed serving, and an unsanitary environment may have contributed because of exposure to elements. The finding from the rectal swabs done on the affected cases and submitted to SPMC reveals that 60 percent turned out positive in the bacteriological culture testing. Lopez noted that those who were hospitalized had consumed tapioca, isaw, kwek-kwek and juice from Rasay St. and the Toril Public Market.
“However, these samples are seen as isolated cases with frequent cases having pipelines submerged in dirty water or, worse, in canals. We also submitted water samples to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine and it was found that no abnormal growth was found in the bacteriology test of the samples submitted,” Lopez said. Lopez, however, warned those who are drinking water from the open wells to boil the water, as those wells tested positive during microbial analysis.
The City Health Office conducted series of dialogues with the barangay office and the street vendors to ensure that the incident would not happen again.
Lopez advised called on the residents “That food safety is everybody’s responsibility. Let us work hand-in-hand to ensure the welfare of all Davaoeños.”
The cases started to decline on July 21 and have not exceeded five per day, contrary to the 67 cases recorded on July 15. At least 163 admitted patients have already recovered, about 75 percent of the total cases recorded since day 1 of the outbreak. A total of 11 individuals or 5 percent of the total affected individuals remained in hospitals while 26 cases were also being treated at the Outpatient Department of hospitals.
“The diarrhea outbreak was due to a foodborne microorganism, with Vibrio cholera as the pathogen of concern. The most likely vehicle of transmission is contaminated food,” Lopez said in a statement as released by the City Information Office.
Earlier on, Dr. Romanito Pilay told Newsline “the test result which he received involving patients at the St. John of the Cross hospital showed Amoebiasis and not diarrhea hit the patients.’
Lopez said. He said added to the list of those who died was a 27-year-old patient who succumbed to cardiopulmonary arrest secondary to severe dehydration.
He said that from the investigations, the food consumed by the victims may have been contaminated during preparation and handling by an infected handler/s. It was also found that proper storage, delayed serving, and an unsanitary environment may have contributed because of exposure to elements. The finding from the rectal swabs done on the affected cases and submitted to SPMC reveals that 60 percent turned out positive in the bacteriological culture testing. Lopez noted that those who were hospitalized had consumed tapioca, isaw, kwek-kwek and juice from Rasay St. and the Toril Public Market.
The Epidemiology Bureau has concluded that only those patients who had diarrhea or had three or more episodes within 24 hours, after eating a meal in Rasay and/or Toril Public Market from July 12 to 18, 2022, are considered to be part of the outbreak, Lopez said.
He urged resident to boil their water 10 minutes before use for drinking and preparation of food is still highly recommended. As to the two ice plants, Lopez confirmed that the water from an open well used for ice-making tested positive for E. Coli and Coliform. He said that these ice plants are closed for violation of the Sanitation Code. He said that vendors are oriented not to use ice from ice plants for food preparation.
He said it is best to “make your own ice” Lopez thanked the Davao City Water District, the Southern Philippines Medical Center, and the Epidemiology Bureau of the Department of Health for their collaborative efforts to ensure the transparency of reports and give a better picture of the incident
Due to the incident, Lopez said his office is coordinating with multiple agencies, offices, and departments to ensure strict enforcement of existing rules on food handling, surveillance, and other related activities. “We are for the regulation of street vendors in compliance with the relative laws, but we also look forward to lobbying (for) legislation in improving the Sanitary Ordinance of this City,” he added.
Lopez said that food handling guidelines at Roxas Night Market will set an example should there be additional regulations in place for street food handling. As to the health card requirement for vendors, this will be for further study and assessment. He also announced that the Incident Command Center located in front of Magsaysay Elementary School is demobilized and the teams serving there will be transferred to other local health centers to assist in Kadayawan 2022-related responsibilities.-with CIO report
