The regional office of the Department of Health (DOH-7) has declared a diarrhea outbreak in a Japanese electronics assembly factory in Danao City, northern Cebu.
The health agency has started conducting tests yesterday to determine the cause of the outbreak which downed 147 workers of Cebu Mitsumi Inc.
The workers suffered stomach pains, vomiting and loose bowel movement.
At least 38 of the workers were confined in a hospital due to severe dehydration.
Reynan Cimafranca, head of the Regional Epidemiological and Surveillance Unit (RESU-7), said brackish water supply is being considered as among the possible causes.
They are also checking the food and drinks sold by ambulant vendors outside the factory.
“Most of the patients got sick after drinking sago-gulaman,” Cimafranca told reporters yesterday.
During an ocular inspection conducted by DOH-7, the vendors failed to present sanitation and food handling certificates.
DOH-7 regional director Dr. Jaime Bernadas reminded local government units (LGUs) to require vendors to secure health certificates on sanitation and food handling to assure public safety.
“To the public, it is better to buy from food establishments that have licenses. At least, in case something happens, we can run after them,” Bernadas told reporters.
Bernadas added food and drinks sold along the roads are vulnerable to contamination.
He advised the vendors to observe proper sanitation and food handling.
The Provincial Epidemiological Surveillance Unit (PESU) also dispatched a team to Danao City and found out that one of the patients showed symptoms of cholera, a member of the unit said.
Medical technologist Christian Acebedo said the patient has been admitted to a private hospital in Cebu City.
He added that two other patients who were confined in the Danao City Provincial Hospital tested positive for amebiasis.
The PESU collected samples from the water sources in and around Mitsumi. A drinking fountain inside the factory was among those suspected to be the cause of the workers’ illness.
Ice sold by a vendor across the factory was also tested. According to Acebedo, it will take three days to determine the bacteria present in the specimen.