DOH team confirms outbreak of typhoid fever in a coastal Samar barangay

By NINFA B. QUIRANTE (PIA Samar)
March 31, 2008

CATBALOGAN CITY, Samar  –  A team of physicians led by Dr. Enrique Tayag of the National Epidemiology Center of the Department of Health (DOH) confirmed that there was an outbreak of typhoid fever in Brgy. Alegria, Zumarraga, Samar.

The team of doctors accompanied by health authorities from Center for Health Development (CHD) 8 and from the Samar Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO) sailed to the island town of Zumarraga to validate the earlier reports.

The team went to Zumarraga town, reachable by an hour of boat ride from Catbalogan proper; proceeded to the target barangay, another two-hour boat ride.

The team, in its findings, confirmed that there was an outbreak of Typhoid Fever on February 10, 2008 - March 15, 2008 as evidenced by one rectal swab and two blood cultures that yielded positive for Salmonella typhosa.

The findings further revealed that the source of the typhoid could be the water from an improved dug well.

Some 77% of the 13 samples from randomly selected households tested positive for coliform, including the sample collected from the source of the water supply, the report stated.

The team suspected that the steady rain which fell on the island during the month of January to February, which inundated the barangay resulted to the contamination of the water table by fecal coliforms.

The team considered that, since majority of the houses do not have sanitary toilets, the contamination of the water was inevitable.

Of the 135 identified typhoid cases, only 115 suspect typhoid cases met the case definition.

Thirty five cases claimed that they use their own sanitary toilets. Only 28% wash their hands without using soap before eating.

Some 99% of the suspected cases drink water with no water sanitation such as chlorination or boiling.

Only 32% of the households have sanitary toilets. Three sanitary toilets were found to be less than 25 meters away from the source of water.

To recall, Samar Provincial Hospital was swamped with 27 victims who exhibited symptoms of the dreaded typhoid from March 7-12, 2008. Some other victims opted to stay in their homes.

Marian Pantaleon, sentinel nurse said that while the number of cases seemed alarming, the Municipal Health Officer (MHO) of Zumarraga, Dr. Francis Langi immediately acted on the health problem.

The Barangay Council of Alegria declared in ‘a state of calamity’ and used the intended fund to purchase medicines for the victims.

As recommended by the visiting health the barangay is advised to assist residents to conduct household water treatment; to conduct a massive clean-up drive; create a committee to protect and monitor the safety of the existing improved dug well and conduct information campaign on water treatment to all residents.

It also recommended that rehabilitation of the spring water source be funded.

Meanwhile, the health team recommended to the RHU to set up or improve the surveillance system in all barangays.