Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 18) — The Department of Health (DOH) is strengthening its counter-measures against cholera after a 282% surge in local cases, DOH Officer-in-Charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said.
“We have many teams on-ground addressing our current cholera cases, while we further strengthen our surveillance and response systems nationwide,” Vergeire said in a statement.
According to DOH Epidemiology Bureau data surveillance, there were 5,860 cholera cases reported from Jan. 1 to Nov. 26, 2022. This reflects a 282% increase from the 1,534 cholera cases recorded during the same period in 2021, the DOH said.
The DOH added that most of the cases were logged in Eastern Visayas, Davao Region, and Central Luzon.
Despite this, the agency said no local governments have reported an outbreak, as it is closely coordinating treatment and preventive measures with hospitals to keep cases under control.
There were 67 reported deaths nationwide, higher than the 0.8% case fatality rate in the same period last year.
Since cholera is caused by the ingestion of contaminated food or water, the department said it is continuously improving its strategies and programs on water, sanitation, and hygiene at the grassroots level.
“We must frequently wash our hands and disinfect surfaces. Atin ding siguruhing ang tubig na iinumin ay malinis, filtered, at disinfected gayunding masigurong ang mga pagkain ay properly cooked at hindi hilaw o na cross-contaminate,” Vergeire stressed.
[Translation: Let’s also make sure the water we drink is clean, filtered, and disinfected, and our food is properly cooked and not raw or cross-contaminated.]
