AGE cases in Iloilo City balloon to more than 300

By Joseph B.A. Marzan

The number of acute gastroenteritis (AGE) cases in Iloilo City continues to rise over the weekend, with 342 cases as of Sept 3, 2022, according to the city government’s data.

Data from the City Health Office (CHO) as of Sept 2, which was uploaded to the city government’s Facebook page on Saturday afternoon, indicated that there were 335 cases.

This meant that 58 new cases were confirmed within the weekend, which included 51 on Friday and 7 on Saturday, compared to 284 on Sept 1.

The current number of AGE cases includes 191 recoveries, 85 active cases in hospitals, 58 active cases receiving treatment at home, and 8 deaths.

Based on age, children aged 1 to 10 years old accounted for the most infections (156 cases), followed by 11 to 20 years old (46), less than 1 year old (30), 21 to 30 years old (28), 31 to 40 years old (22), 41 to 50 years old (17), 51 to 60 years old (9), and 61 to 70 years old and 71 to 80 years old (8 each).

The City Health Office (CHO) affirmed an AGE outbreak last Aug 30, based on the growing number of AGE and cholera cases in the city.

The outbreak prompted the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CDRRMC) to recommend the declaration of a state of calamity in the city.

Cholera cases have remained unchanged over the weekend, with 8 so far logged by the CHO.

The Sangguniang Panglungsod on Friday likewise affirmed the CDRRMC’s recommendation, which paved the way for the CHO to access P12.5 million in disaster response funds to contain the outbreak for a 3-month period.

A total of 26 water refilling stations were also closed last week as part of the city government’s response to the outbreak.

These include 14 which have been closed after testing positive for coliform, 4 due to both coliform and Escherichia coli (E.coli), and 8 which do not have the proper permits and sanitation certification.

The 18 stations will remain closed until their water is negative for the bacteria after re-testing, while the 8 will remain closed for 6 months to give them proper time to sort out their documentary requirements.