AMID the perennial threat of water-borne diseases, the Department of Health (DOH) is calling on all local government units (LGUs) to create their respective Committee on Water Safety Quality Standards.
In a recent press briefing, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said they are urging local governments to establish offices that will ensure the quality of the water supply in their respective jurisdictions.
“We will push for the local governments to set up their Committee on Water Safety Quality Standards,” said Vergeire.
She said the initiative is part of the discussions of the Inter-Agency Committee on Environmental Health (IACEH) on how to minimize the threat of water-borne diseases, such as cholera.
“This committee shall make sure that each local government will provide a water supply for the people that are of quality,” she added.
Based on the latest DOH data, the number of cholera cases in 2022 was nearly 300 percent higher compared to 2021.
There were 6,342 cholera cases recorded from January 1 to December 17, 2022, 295 percent higher than the 1,607 cholera cases reported during the same period in 2021.
Cholera is an acute diarrheal illness caused by infection of the intestine with vibrio cholerae bacteria, which can be transmitted by contaminated food or water.
Symptoms of cholera include diarrhea, vomiting, and dehydration.