Philippine Red Cross volunteers set up the cot beds for the typhpoid fever patients in Barili, Cebu. | Photo grabbed from the Barili Information Office FB page
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) provided 25 cot beds to the Barili Infirmary and Barili District Hospital (BDH) to aid in the typhoid fever response of the local government unit (LGU).
In a social media post, Barili’s Public Information Office said on Friday, July 1, 2022, that 13 cot beds from the PRC are now at the Barili Infirmary while 12 others are at the BDH.
“Ang maong Cot Beds gi request sa Barili Infirmary ug Barili District Hospital alang sa Typhoid Fever Response ug iuli kini kun mabalik na sa normal ang kaso bahin niini,” read a portion of the post.
As of this writing, Barili has a total of 44 active cases of typhoid fever and 26 dengue cases.
Of the 44 typhoid cases, 17 are currently admitted to the Barili Infirmary while the 27 others are recuperating at the BDH.
With more patients admitted last week, Barili’s two public health facilities became overburdened. As of last week, the Barili Infirmary, a 10-bed public health facility, catered to 29 typhoid fever patients.
READ: Typhoid in Barili: More patients admitted, officials say situation manageable
While health officials in Barili believed that several patients became infected after drinking contaminated water, they also raised the possibility that open defecation contributed to the spread of the Salmonella Typhi, the bacteria that causes typhoid fever.
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