Diarrhea outbreak in Samar town over - DOH

PALO, Leyte, March 14 (PNA) –- The diarrhea outbreak that afflicted at least 208 persons in an upland village in Motiong, Samar in the past three weeks is already over, the Department of Health (DOH) confirmed on Tuesday.

Minerva Molon, DOH Eastern Visayas regional director, said there has been no new reported victim since March 7, or two weeks after the outbreak in Maypange village, Motiong town.

“It’s now under control and we have been strongly coordinating with the local government unit to ensure that no one will suffer diarrhea in Motiong again,” Molon told reporters in a press briefing at the DOH regional office here.

The outbreak has affected nearly half of the population in Maypange village, some five kilometers away from the commercial center of Motiong, a 4th class town in poverty-stricken Samar province.

Local health workers reported the outbreak on February 22 following the village's founding anniversary celebration joined by hundreds of residents.

“Residents were provided with packed foods prepared by village officials. After a few hours, they complained of abdominal pains and episodes of diarrhea,” Molon recalled.

At least four victims were rushed to the Samar Provincial Hospital in Catbalogan City, about 21 kilometers from Motiong town.

The DOH found that local officials prepared the food 24 hours before the event and left them uncovered inside the village hall. Near the building is a garbage stockpile, empty cans of paints, and unused construction materials.

“The long period of storing the food outside the refrigerator might have allowed bacterial growth.

Presence of solid waste nearby could have resulted in the transmission of microorganisms,” the DOH official explained.

Molon warned that cases of food-borne diseases usually go up around summertime during fiesta celebrations.

To prevent a similar outbreak, the health department advised food handlers to observe safety steps in food handling, cooking and storage.

The DOH also asked the public to drink water only from safe sources, eat well-cooked and properly prepared food, keep food away from insects and rats, use toilet when defecating, and always wash hands before and after eating and after using the toilet. (PNA)
LAP/BS/SQM