CAGAYAN de Oro City–Three children landed at the Northern Mindanao Medical Center (NMMC) yesterday due to Cholera, a village official said.
Barangay Chairman Jose C. Ligtas said the children were brought to the provincial hospital after they complained of stomach ache and vomiting.
Ligtas said that one of those admitted is a 4-year-old. 1 10-yeaer-old, and a girl aged one-year and 3 months.
He said a 73-year-old elderly identified as a certain Reymunda Bantilan was also brought to the provincial hospital.
The village official he was surprised after Dr. Joselito Retuya, the city’s epidemiologist, told him that the children and the elderly were hospitalized due to Cholera.
“I am saddened because we are still coping with the adverse effect of Coronavirus 2019 (Covid-19) that claimed the life of one of his residents and infected two others prompting the city government to order the locked down,” said Ligtas in an interview.
Ligtas said that five zones [from zone 1 to 5] are currently under locked down.
Ligtas suspects that the children and the elderly got the disease as they took water from wells found nearby.
Drinking water analysis lab
Earlier, to provide drinking water laboratory analysis services to constituents, the 19th City Council during its regular session presided over by Vice Mayor Raineir Joaquin V. Uy enacted an ordinance establishing the Cagayan de Oro City drinking water bacteriological analysis laboratory.
The purpose of the ordinance is for the city to make available assured quality laboratory for drinking water analysis with regular monitoring and analysis of all water sources to ensure public health, and to provide establishments in Cagayan de Oro with access to bacteriological water analysis examinations.
This is in line with PD No. 856 or the Code of Sanitation of the Philippines, which prescribes the standards and procedures in ensuring water quality to be implemented in all levels of local government units.
As provided in the ordinance, the drinking water testing laboratory shall be compliant with the standards and requirements set by the Department of Health (DOH).
The laboratory will have an adequate number of medical technologists, analysts and other health professionals with documented training and experience to conduct the laboratory procedures.
It shall also have a certified pathologist to supervise the activities in the laboratory in accordance with the standards set by the Philippine Society of Pathologists, and provide staff development and continuing education program at all levels of organization to upgrade the knowledge, attitude and skills of staff.
As stipulated in the ordinance, fees shall be charged for services to be paid at the City Treasurer’s Office.
These services are: drinking water analysis (P500 to P700 per sample); test kits/reagents (P350); collection bottles (P120); disinfectants (P25); and forms (P4).
The legislation was reviewed and endorsed by the committees on health and health insurance, on ways and means, and on laws and rules chaired by Councilors Maria Lourdes S. Gaane, George Goking, and Ian Mark Q. Nacaya, respectively. With a report from SP/JBDacer
