BAGUIO CITY – Acute diarrhea cases in the region last year slightly increased by 1 percent compared to the recorded number of cases recorded regionwide the previous year, a report from the Cordillera office of the Department of Health (DOH-CAR) stated.
Dr. Lakshmi Legaspi, DOH-CAR regional director, said no acute diarrhea fatalities were recorded last year while there was one death reported in the region during the previous year.
The DOH-CAR official noted the age range of the acute diarrhea victims was from 2 days to 98 years old with the median pegged at 9 years old and females registering a total of 860 cases or 51.6 percent of the total affected population.
In 2015, she reported there were 1,656 acute diarrhea cases regionwide while it slightly increased to 1,668 cases last year.
Kalinga had the highest increase in acute diarrhea cases at 52 percent with 50 cases last year compared to the 33 cases the previous year followed by Apayao which recorded a 32 percent increase with 29 cases last year compared to the 22 cases the previous year.
Benguet reported a 15 percent increase with 588 cases in 2016 compared to the 513 cases in 2015 while Mountain Province recorded the lowest increase at 9 percent with 317 cases last year compared to the 291 cases the previous year.
On the other hand, Abra recorded the highest decrease at 67 percent with only 2 cases last year compared to the 6 cases the previous year followed by Baguio City that posted a 15 percent decrease with 260 cases in 2016 compared to the 305 cases in 2015.
Ifugao registered a 13 percent decrease in acute diarrhea cases with 384 patients last year compared to the 443 cases the previous year while non-CAR posted a 12 percent decrease with 38 cases last year compared to the 43 cases the previous year.
Legaspi explained acute diarrhea is usually a sign of invasive enteric infection that carries a substantial risk of serious morbidity and death, especially in children in developing countries.
She explained the disease is characterized by acute fever and bloody diarrhea and can also present when systemic symptoms and signs as well as dehydration, especially in the young children.
According to her, clustering of acute diarrhea cases was noted in Paracelis, Mountain Province, thus, all health sectors were encouraged to intensify surveillance for early prevention and control.
More importantly, she called on the public to maintain good personal hygiene, hand washing with soap and water, and good environmental sanitation to prevent them from contracting the dreaded illness that would compromise their health condition.
The DOH-CAR official advised the public to make sure that they properly boil their drinking water and make sure that their sources of water are also clean because contaminated water is one of the major causes of acute bloody diarrhea.
Legaspi claimed health workers regionwide will still remain vigilant on the rise in various illnesses that are being closely monitored by the agency to ensure the immediate implementation of appropriate interventions to protect the health of the people.
By HENT