LOCAL officials in Davao de Oro declared a state of calamity on Thursday, following the reported outbreak of diarrhea in nine purok (sub-villages) in Monkayo town in the said province.According to the data, Barangay Pasian in Monkayo town has recorded 184 cases of diarrhea and five deaths as of June 18.Monkayo Municipal Information Officer Joseph Anthony Crizaldo said symptoms of diarrhea such as vomiting and excessive bowel movements were first recorded on June 11.Based on the report, nine out of 15 sub-villages in the barangay (village) were affected by the outbreak.The Environment Sanitation Report from the Provincial Health Office (PHO) disclosed that the source of the water system in the area had not been disinfected since its installation in 2002.'It has no fence and is located near a rubber plantation,' the report stated.Mayor Ramil Gentugaya also ordered Dr. Jherix V. Gapate, municipal Health officer (MHO), to give immediate medical attention to the patients.The MHO and the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office provided medical services to the residents in the affected area.Dr. Antonio Ybiernas Jr., Davao de Oro provincial health officer, said a thorough investigation was ongoing alongside that by a team from the Department of Health-Region 11 and the PHO. Ybiernas said Health officials have not discounted the possibility that the cases might be related to Covid-19 since diarrhea is one of its symptoms.
