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COTABATO CITY (MindaNews / 22 Aprl) – Two children have died from dehydration while 42 other persons were monitored hit by diarrhea in an island village in Parang, Maguindanao last week, according to the Ministry of Health of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (MOH-BARMM).
Health Minister Saffrulah Dipatuan has immediately deployed health teams last week to investigate, treat and gather samples of stools from the victims and the water source used by the affected residents.
He said there was high E. coli content in the two water sources in the island – one an open well, the other is closed type.
“The laboratory results revealed there is high bacterial contamination in the water source,” Dipatuan said, but clarified that there was no cholera indications found based on culture and bacterial analysis conducted.
Bongo Island has history of cholera outbreaks and deaths in the past years during the dry spell season.
The dry spell is currently being felt in the island this summer and residents are dependent on wells as water source. (Ferdinandh Cabrera / MindaNews)
