Six of nine water samples obtained by health authorities from water sources in sitio Tugasan, barangay Guadalupe in Cebu City last Sunday tested positive for fecal coliform or human waste.
Regional Epidemiology Surveillance Unit (RESU-7) chief Renan Cimafranca refused to pinpoint which of the water sources tested positive for traces of human waste as he has yet to receive the full result.
Among the water sources that were covered by the sampling are deep well, spring, river, and coin-operated vending machines or the ATMs (automated tubig machine).
“We can’t also say that the ailment, whether diarrhea or typhoid fever, was caused by spoiled food because the patients didn’t share the same food. Most of the residents including the patients have common water resources,” he said.
Cimafranca also requested the Cebu City Health Office to get samples from water refilling stations.
Discomfort
He said residents rushed to hospitals exhibited symptoms of typhoid fever.
According to a Department of Health (DOH) advisory, typhoid symptoms include sustained high fever, headache, weakness, loss of appetite, diarrhea, and abdominal discomfort.
Gilbert Denuyo, a resident of sitio Tugas, said his four relatives who were taken to the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) experienced fever, headache, muscle pain and weakness for nearly one month.
As of 2 p.m yesterday, five residents of sitio Tugasan are still confined at the VSMMC while four were treated as outpatients.
Cimafranca said the area had few toilets.
The Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) is also considering to expand their service area within Cebu City in the wake of the water contamination cases in Guadalupe. /With Reporter Jose Santino S. Bunachita
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