By Arabella Asis
The Department of Health (DOH) in Ilocos Region advised residents to boil their drinking water to avoid water-borne diseases such as diarrhea.
In a press release on Tuesday, April 16, DOH Regional Director Paula Paz Sydiongco reminded the public to ensure the quality of their potable water at home.
“Always use pure clean water for drinking, preparing beverages, cooking, brushing teeth, washing hands and face, and washing eating and cooking tools to avoid getting diarrhea,” she said.
She said the boiling of water should take at least one minute “to kill any harmful bacteria.”
“But be sure na gagamit tayo ng stainless steel or clay pot sa pagpapakulo upang hindi mga leftovers gaya ng aluminum particles, corrosions, toxic metals, chemicals gaya ng lead, mercury at asbestos mula sa boiling process na galing sa boiling receptacle na ginamit,” she said.
Sydiongco said that although diarrhea cases are manageable, medical supplies have been distributed to health offices in the region to prevent an outbreak.
These include 140 jars of effervescent chlorine granules to be used for water disinfection, 1,200 boxes of ciprofloxacin, an antibiotic for adults to treat different types of bacterial infections, and 2,016 bottles of zinc syrup for kids to strengthen their immune system and metabolism function.
Also distributed were 35,120 sachets of oral rehydration solution and 35 boxes of crystal VC RDT kits for cholera detection.
According to the Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit, there are 4,712 acute watery diarrhea cases in Region 1 from January 1 to March 25, 2023. -ag
