BAGUIO CITY—The Cordillera office of the Department of Health (DOH-CAR) reported a 56-percent increase in the number of typhoid fever cases from January to September 10 this year compared to the yearago incidence.
Dra. Amelita Panglilinan, DOH-CAR assistant regional director, said the number of deaths of typhoid did not change.
Typhoid cases in Apayao rose 254 percent, the highest jump, to 138 this year from 39 last year. Cases in Ifugao grew 215 percent to 129 this year from 41 last year.
Kalinga saw a 137-percent increase in typhoid cases to 235 cases from 99 last year, while Benguet recorded a 109-percent uptick to 1,582 cases from 758 in 2015.
Abra reported the highest incidence drop of 36 percent to 48 from 75 last year. Baguio City posted a 31-percent decrease in typhoid patients to 164 from 237 last year, while Mountain Province said it had 13 percent less cases this year–406 cases compared to last year’s 465.
Pangilinan revealed that typhoid cases from non-CAR areas that were treated in the different hospitals in the region also decreased by nine percent to 39 cases in 2016 from 43 last year.
According to her, the age range of the typhoid fever victims is from one month old to 93 years old and females accounted for 50.1 percent of the victims.
A 71-year old woman from Sadanga, Mountain Province and a 33-year old man from Tuba, Benguet died of the disease.
Clustering of typhoid fever cases were reported in Pudtol, Apayao; Atok, Bokod, Buguias, Kabayan. Kibungan, La Trinidad, Benguet; Tinoc, Ifugao; Tabuk city, Kalinga; Besao, Sagada, Mountain Province, Pangilinan added.
Typhoid fever is transmitted by food and water contaminated by feces and urine of patients and carriers.
