The City Health Office (CHO) of Cagayan de Oro has confirmed an increase in diarrhea cases, including acute gastroenteritis, over the past week.

City Health Officer, Dr. Rachel Dilla, said those admitted for diarrhea have reached 120 since Tuesday, September 23, 2025.

CHO also recorded 130 outpatient consultations and 45 consultations in health centers.

Dilla added that some patients interviewed reported a history of eating in certain establishments.

“Those who has been interviewed it seems that they have history of eating in some establishments however there are some cases nga wala gyud siyay history nga nagkaon siya sa gawas although mas lesser sila and also more on the highlands,” Dilla said.

Because of this, water samples from several establishments mentioned by patients were collected and forwarded to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) to test for contamination.

CHO also submitted stool samples to RITM for further testing.

“Nag-abot ang (kit) from RITM so we will be starting to collect samples from those hospitalized para ipadala sa RITM kung unsa gyud siya nga causative agents nag cause sa diarrhea,” Dilla added.

The Cagayan de Oro City Water District earlier assured that the water it supplies to most parts of the city is safe and tested negative for contamination.

Health authorities reminded the public to drink only safe water.

“We are asking for bottled water at the same time if you go out then just bring your own water na lang,” Dilla said.

According to the City Information Office, CHO has activated its incident command system on Monday, September 22, in response to the rising cases of acute gastroenteritis in the city.

The CHO-Incident Management Team is directed to do initial investigation and implement measures to mitigate further cases.