DOH verifying reports of typhoid fever epidemic

The Department of Health (DOH-7) recorded 47 suspected cases and seven confirmed cases of typhoid fever in barangay Camugao, Pinamungajan town in northern Cebu.

“It’s not an outbreak but it is an epidemic. Based on our review, the area has not experienced typhoid cases beyond the usual number for the past five years,” said Reynan Cimafranca, head of the Regional Epidemiological and Surveillance Unit (RESU-7).

He said they are monitoring an 11-year-old girl who has been confined in a private hospital in Cebu City.

The girl is the younger sister of 16-year-old Marivic Macalipay, the first barangay Camugao resident to die of typhoid fever.

“She has been suffering peritonitis or accumulation of fluids in her intestine. She needs exploratory laporatomy to remove the fluids. Her condition is serious,” he told reporters.

Positive

Her father tested positive of the same illness and has been given medications, Cimafranca said.

There are two other children referred to hospitals in Cebu City for confinement.

Aside from Macalipay, also testing positive for typhoid were the one-year-old daughter and three-year-old son of 27-year-old Eduardo Caniban, the second casualty from typhoid fever.

Their neighbor tested positive of typhoid and received medication, Cimafranca said. He added one of the barangay’s water sources had been treated last week while two others remain untreated.

Infected

Last week, Pinamungajan health officer Dr. Sheila Faciol confirmed the presence of garbage like soiled diapers near the water source. They also directed barangay officials to remove the garbage.

Cimafranca said the water source should be fenced to prevent animals from reaching the water source.

Typhoid fever is an infectious disease caused by the salmonella typhi bacteria.

It spreads and contaminates food and water or through close contact with an infected person.

Signs and symptoms include sustained high fever, headache, malaise (weakness), anorexia (loss of appetite) either diarrhea or constipation and abdominal discomfort.

Treatment consists of antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin for adults and Cetriaxone (injectable antibiotic) may be administered to children andpregnant women.