2 die of meningococcemia, diarrhea; outbreak feared in Pio Duran, Albay

By Rhaydz Barcia LEGAZPI CITY -- A woman died from diarrhea Tuesday, while an 11-year-old child succumbed to meningococcemia on Monday, both in Pio Duran, Albay. Close to 100 people were hospitalized due to a diarrhea outbreak that was traced to unsafe drinking water. Reported to have died due to diarrhea was Criselda Imperial Atuli of Barangay Badian, Pio Duran, Albay while her two children are confined at Pio Duran District Hospital as of this reporting period. The outbreak is reportedly not confined Pio Duran but is also affecting the other Albay municipalities of Oas and Libon. Oas Mayor Domingo Escoto is seeking assistance from the provincial government to contain the outbreak that has spread among far-flung villages of his town. Escoto personally visited the patients afflicted with diarrhea on Tuesday and told the residents of Cagmanaba and nearby villages to stop drinking water from deep wells. He added that the municipal government would start providing water to the affected barangays. “We will provide drinking water and oher medical assistance to affected areas. We need also the intervention of the provincial government because the incident has become widespread,” he said. On the other hand, the meningococcemia victim, an 11-year-old pupil from Barangay Caratagan, Pio Duran was interred immediately even without the presence of his parents to contain the virus, according to Provincial Board Member Pem Arandia of Albay’s 3rd district. The parents of the child, according to Arandia, were in Metro Manila. Contact tracing is being done by health authorities for the necessary medical treatment and provision of medicine. Meningococcemia is an infection caused by the Neisseria meningitidis bacteria, the same type of bacteria that can cause meningitis.