MASANTOL, Pampanga – Twenty children here were rushed to hospitals in Pampanga and Bulacan over the weekend for severe diarrhea after they drank water from deep well pumps which have recently surfaced above ebbing floodwaters dumped by typhoon Pedring.
A team from the Philippine Medical Association (PMA), assisted by the Maynilad Water central office, declared water from deep wells in eight barangays here unfit for human consumption.
The wells were located in Barangays Nigui, Alauli, Sagrada Familia, Bagang, Balibago, Baco, Iscundo and Sapang Kawayan.
The severe diarrhea cases were discovered by the PMA which launched recently the “Doctors on Boats” project to be able to reach families still isolated by flooding in Pampanga. They rushed the victims to hospitals.
On board several boats, the PMA doctor-volunteers braved the floods here last Saturday and Sunday and were able to provide medical and psycho-social services to some 3,000 families.
Dr. Michael Aragon, chief of the PMA media affairs, said the water samples revealed coliform and E.Coli bacteria, even as he urged residents of the barangay to refrain from drinking water from the affected wells.
Warning of possible diarrhea outbreak, Aragon appealed to town and barangay officials in providing the affected folk with potable drinking water and warning them of the contamination of the water from their pumps.
The presence of Coliform bacteria in drinking water indicates that disease-causing organisms or pathogens could be in the water system. Most pathogens that can contaminate water supplies come from the feces of humans or animals, Aragon said.
He said that E.Coli is a sub-group of the fecal coliform group and its presence indicate recent fecal contamination and a greater risk of the presence of pathogens or microorganisms that cause diseases.
Gov. Lilia Pineda has instructed the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) and the Provincial Health Office to coordinate immediately with the municipal officials here and extend all support in the campaign against diarrhea.
She also vowed to extend financial help for the diarrhea patients most of whose families had been deprived of their livelihood by the deep floods that have remained in their areas since typhoon Pedring over two weeks ago.
Pineda also told local health authorities to coordinate with the PMA and Maynilad experts in containing the contamination of the wells and provide chlorine formulations to the affected folk.
She also urged all folk affected by widespread flooding in her province to first boil water taken from deep wells before drinking them.
On boats, the PMA doctor-volunteers went from house to house to provide not only medical services but also psycho-social counseling to local folk who had been virtually hostaged by flooding for several days.
The doctors also brought with them vital medicines, relief goods and drinking water.
The PMA Doctors on Boats program was supported by the Department of Health, Department of National Defense, Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary, Philippine National Police, Armed Forces of the Philippines, Metro Manila Development Authority, REACT Philippines, Philippine Red Cross, United Laboratories, Incorporated, Pharex, GMA Kapuso Foundation, Inc. UST Faculty of Pharmacy, FEU-NRMF and Beta Sigma Fraternity Alumni Association.
