DOH warns vs. illnesses amid water supply problems

The Department of Health (DOH) on Wednesday advised the public to take precautions against water-borne diseases amid supply issues and the dry season.

DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire warned against stomach aches, cholera, typhoid, as well as vector-borne diseases such as dengue and malaria.

On the sidelines of the launch of the Philippine Multisectoral Nutrition Project, Vergeire said that it was important to be aware of how to prevent these illnesses.

“Pero what would be most important would be lahat tayo dapat aware, alam natin ang gagawin natin kapag nangyari yan para maiwasan ang sakit katulad ng dapat siguraduhing lagi na ligtas ang tubig na ating iniinom,” Vergeire said.

(But what would be the most important is that we should all be aware, we must know what to do when that happens to prevent illnesses including making sure that the water we are going to drink is clean and safe.)

“Kung hindi po tayo sigurado doon sa source of water natin lalong lalo na kung nagkukulang na po, maaring pakuluan po natin ang tubig natin kahit mga limang minuto para masigurado natin wala tayong makuhang sakit dulot nito,” she added.

(If we are not sure about the source of our water, we can boil our water for at least five minutes so that we can make sure that we do not get sick because of it.)

The DOH OIC also highlighted the importance of good hygiene and food preparation to prevent these diseases.

“Lagi nating palagiang lilinisan ang mga kinakainan natin, hindi lamang sa tubig nakukuha ang sakit, kapag ang pagkain ay madumi dahil madumi ang tubig na ginamit sa paghahanda nitong pagkain magkakasakit din po ang ating mga kababayan,” Vergeire said.

(We must always clean our utensils to avoid getting sick. People will also get sick if we do not have good sanitation and handle proper food preparation.)

“So it all boils down to good hygiene, good food preparation, and of course the source of water ay kailangan po laging malinis para maiwasan ang sakit (must be always clean to avoid illnesses),” she added.

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. earlier said that the Philippines was experiencing a water crisis.

At the 6th Edition of the Water Philippines Conference and Exposition, Marcos mentioned "stratagems" for water treatment and flood control projects, among others, which are needed to address the problem with water.

The President also specifically cited the need to build dikes and dams as part of flood control measures. —NB, GMA Integrated News