Antique intensifies campaign for safe water
San Jose, Antique -- In view of diarrhea outbreak in Loon, Bohol, the government has declared a state of calamity, following the death of two persons and the hospitalization of about a hundred due to the disease.
Loon Mayor Cesar Tomas Lopez has tasked the local authorities to conduct an extensive investigation to determine the cause of the diarrhea outbreak.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said, the DOH is on top of the situation as those hospitalized are now declared out of harms way and in better condition.
In Antique, there is no reported rise in diarrhea cases, however Rural Sanitary inspectors were mobilized to carryout an intensified information campaign to strictly enforce community hygiene and sanitation, that includes among others safe drinking water and use of water-sealed toilets, said Dr. Norman Tanchuan, Provincial Health Officer.
The sanitation campaign will likewise heighten the preventive and promotive aspects of healthful living, especially towards the peak of fiesta season. If in doubt of source of water supply, boil it. If in doubt of food quality, dispose it properly, Tanchuan emphasized.
The support of the local government units is very important in the information drive. The LGUs may require new applicants for a business permit engaging in eatery/food business to undergo Food.
(PIA)