ILOILO CITY — The municipal health office of Calinog, Iloilo is eyeing to put the entire town under a “state of emergency” due to the rising number of high school students who have tested positive for Hepatitis A.
In an interview Wednesday afternoon, Municipal Health Officer Cesar Rey Mestidio said 75 students, all from Don Esteban S. Javellana Memorial High School, were found to be suffering from the disease, based on laboratory results from the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine.
The cases of Hepatitis began last week of July.
The municipal health office found out the students got infected through a food handler who had tested positive for the disease.
Mestidio was requested by members of the Sangguniang Bayan (City Council) for a meeting on Thursday to present the status of Hepatitis A cases in their town, as well as tackle their recommendation of putting the town under a state of emergency.
Mayor Alex Centena also spoke about the concern when they met last Monday, Mestidio said.
“The mayor wants to fast-track the declaration so that we could already help those who are in need,” he said.
Mestidio said declaring their town under a state of emergency would allow them to use their disaster fund for the medication of students and laboratory tests.
He, however, said that the exact amount of the fund has yet to be tackled in his meeting with the municipal board.
“The financial assistance would surely be a big help to our students,” Mestidio said.
At the same time, the state of emergency status would encourage all residents to be vigilant to minimize or stop the spread of the Hepatitis A virus, he said.
Mestidio expressed hope that their town would be declared under a state of emergency next week, during the regular session of the municipal board.
At the moment, he said students with Hepatitis A were temporarily asked to stop attending classes while they are still taking medication.
“They were just given modules by their teachers so that they will not be left behind in their studies,” he said, adding that these students will undergo another laboratory test a month from now.
“Once they test negative, they could again attend their classes,” he said.
The incident forced the school to close down its canteen to minimize the spread of the virus to other students while ambulant vendors were also temporarily barred from selling food inside the school.
Mestidio said the mayor has ordered all school canteens and restaurants in their town to secure sanitary permits to assure that the food that they are serving are safe for consumption.
The municipal health office is also strengthening its advocacy of hand-washing among students and teachers.
The World Health Organization defines Hepatitis A as a “liver disease caused by the Hepatitis A virus, primarily spread when an uninfected (and unvaccinated) person ingests food or water that is contaminated with the feces of an infected person.” (Cindy Ferrer/PNA)
