DOH: Philippines’ cholera cases up 282% in Jan.–Nov. 2022 at 5,860

There were 5,860 cholera cases recorded from January 1 to November 26, 2022, a total 282% higher than was recorded in the same period last year, the Department of Health (DOH) said Sunday.

DOH said that from January 1 to November 26, 2021, there were only 1,534 cholera cases in the country.

Data surveillance of the DOH Epidemiology Bureau also showed that the region with the highest number of cholera cases during the same period was Eastern Visayas at 3,620 (62%).

Next was Davao Region with 810 cases (14%), and then Central Luzon with 336 cases (6%).

Meanwhile, from October 30 to November 26 alone, there were 640 cholera cases recorded.

Eastern Visayas topped the list of regions with the highest number of cholera cases recently at 472 (74%).

It was followed by Western Visayas with 50 cases (8%), and Central Luzon with 37 cases (6%).

The death toll nationally due to cholera also jumped to 67, posing a 1.1% case fatality rate.

Despite this, the agency emphasized that no local governments have declared a cholera outbreak yet as cases remained “manageable” due to the coordination of hospitals and DOH in monitoring and treating patients.

“We have many teams on-ground addressing our current cholera cases, while we further strengthen our surveillance and response systems nationwide,” DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a statement.

DOH said they are also providing necessary assistance to critical areas to ensure patients have access to treatments and clean drinking water.

It is also coordinating with concerned agencies through the Inter-Agency Committee on Environmental Health to improve their water, sanitation and hygiene services to ensure public health and reduce their risk of getting diarrheal diseases.

The DOH, through its Centers for Health Developments, and local government units are also continuously implementing drinking water quality surveillance programs, and sanitation programs to ensure that open defecation practices are eliminated and there is a proper disposal of feces and sewage waste.

DOH further advised for safer food preparation and storage especially at the household level to prevent pathogens from reproducing.

“We must frequently wash our hands and disinfect surfaces. Atin ding siguruhing ang tubig na iinumin ay malinis, filtered, at disinfected gayunding masigurong ang mga pagkain ay properly cooked at hindi hilaw o na cross-contaminate. Lastly, food items should be stored in cool and dry containers upang maiwasang mapanis ito,” Vergeire added.

(We must frequently wash our hands and disinfect surfaces. Let's also make sure that the water to drink is clean, filtered, and disinfected to ensure that the food is properly cooked and not raw or cross-contaminated. Lastly, food items should be stored in cool and dry containers to prevent them from getting spoiled.)

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), cholera is an “extremely virulent” disease that can cause severe acute watery diarrhea due to ingestion of food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae.

This infection affects both children and adults and can kill within hours if untreated. — BM, GMA Integrated News