After reporting more than 1100 gastrointestinal viral infections, Zamboanga City Mayor, Beng Climaco signed Executive Order 174 declaring a gastroenteritis outbreak in the city.

Image/CDC
Image/CDC

To date, the disease has claimed five lives, 4 of which are pediatric cases and all had co-morbidities such as pneumonia and malnutrition.

Climaco’s order tasked City Health Officer Rodel Agbulos along with other concerned offices and agencies and all health institutions in the city to institute, undertake and implement curative and proactive measures to effectively address and eradicate the outbreak.

Agbulos said they have recorded 1,124 cases of viral acute gastrointestinal illness from March 18 to April 21, reporting up to 97 cases in one day.

526 cases have been seen in the 1-5 year-old bracket and 237 cases in children under the age of 12 months.

Stool culture results from the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) revealed last week that viral infection, norovirus, a highly contagious virus, caused the majority of cases in the city.  Proper hand washing and general hygiene are among the best measures to prevent the spread of norovirus.

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