9 died of gastroenteritis due to unclean water in Iloilo City, Mayor Treñas says

At least nine people have died of gastroenteritis in Iloilo City due to unclean water supply, Mayor Jerry Treñas said on Tuesday.

Interviewed on Dobol B TV, Treñas said around 400 people suffered from gastroenteritis after drinking unclean water.

“Well, nine ang namatay. Some are in the hospital. Yung iba naka-recover na. Tinatamaan ng severe those who are babies and seniors,” he said.

(Well, nine people have died. Some are in the hospital. Others have already recovered. Babies and senior citizens experienced severe conditions.)

Treñas said a total of 29 water refilling stations have been closed after the reported incidents. At least 3,000 of 10,000 shallow wells have been inspected.

“Madumi na tubig galing sa mga shallow well. Sa ngayon nakita namin na may mga water refilling stations na hindi compliant sa health protocols…Ang problema may mga water refilling station na walang bagong water potability tests,” he said.

(The incidents of gastroenteritis were due to unclean water from shallow wells. So far, we found out that some water refilling stations are not compliant with health protocols. The problem is there are water refilling stations that did not undergo new water potability tests.)

According to Treñas, authorities are addressing the issue considering that students are now attending face-to-face classes in schools.

According to a report of GMA Regional TV Iloilo on GMA News’ Unang Balita, there are 354 cases of gastroenteritis in the city. Of which, 191 have recovered, 94 are still admitted in the hospital, and 61 are still under observation.

Of the 19,000 wells in the city, 10,885 have been inspected and 541 have been chlorinated, it added. Only 188 of the 241 water refilling stations have been checked.—AOL, GMA News