Baguio City declares acute gastroenteritis outbreak

Mayor Benjamin Magalong has declared an outbreak of acute gastroenteritis in Baguio City, as cases soared to over a thousand as of Wednesday.  

According to the Baguio City Health Services Office (CHSO), a total of 1,602 incident reports were recorded as of 11 a.m. of January 10, involving 218 establishments and 80 households.

Among the victims were the 14 members of the Querubin family from Rizal who visited Baguio over the holiday season, based on a report of Jasmin Gabriel-Galban from GMA Regional TV One North Central Luzon.

They were brought to a hospital after experiencing vomiting, stomach ache, and diarrhea. They were discharged later on but some members were still suffering pain in the stomach. 

Mary Grace Querubin said they went to Baguio on January 5, and ate in a food establishment where service water was served. 

“Ang hirap umuwi. Ang tagal ng biyahe namin eh. Halos 4, [hours]. Umabot kami talaga ng 5 hours kasi lahat ng stopover, tumitigil kami,” she said.

(It was hard going home. Our trip was long and took 4 to 5 hours because we were hopping off at every stopover.)

 Other patients were from the municipalities of Itogon, Tuba, and La Trinidad in Benguet who also ate in various food establishments in Baguio.

Magalong said even he and some of his family and friends also had diarrhea.

Water samples

The CHSO earlier said it is looking at water contamination as a possible reason behind the disease. 

The CHSO’s sanitation division gathered water samples from different water sources in the concerned establishments, which would be subjected to testing and retesting to determine the cause of the possible contamination. 

The Department of Health (DOH) said Thursday its Epidemiology Bureau and the Center for Health Development Cordillera Administrative Region is assisting the Baguio City government to manage and control the cases of diarrhea.

DOH said the increase in diarrhea cases started on December 21, 2023.

The agency thus advised the public to use clean water for drinking, eating, cooking, brushing teeth, and washing the hands and face. 

“Water may be boiled for two minutes (start timer after water comes to a rolling boil). The use of chlorine-based water disinfection solution or tablets, if available in health centers, is also recommended. The public is also advised to report any change in color or odor of their household tap water,” it said. 

“In case of loose or watery stools, the first aid is to ensure hydration. Drink replacement fluids - clean water, ideally with oral rehydration solution (Oresol). Consult a doctor.” —Giselle Ombay/ VAL, GMA Integrated News