One of 18 suspected cholera cases in Manapla, Negros Occidental, has tested positive, Mayor Manuel Escalante said Sunday, November 20.
The patient was admitted at the Cadiz District Hospital, he said.
Escalante said the rest of the Manapla residents with suspected cholera have recovered.
They were given dextrose to rehydrate at the Manapla Rural Health Unit (RHU), he said.
He said two Manapla residents who died of suspected cholera did not seek medical help.
Some of those with suspected cholera were students who drank water out of faucets at their schools.
The school principals in Manapla have been instructed not to allow students to drink water out of faucets, he said, stressing the need for residents to ensure that their drinking water is boiled and safe.
Cholera is an acute diarrheal illness caused by infection of the intestine with Vibrio cholerae bacteria, which can be deadly. People can get sick when they swallow food or water contaminated with cholera bacteria.
The mayor stressed the need for residents exhibiting cholera symptons not to wait and to immediately go to the town RHU because time is of the essence.
Cholera symptoms are watery diarrhea, vomiting, and leg cramps.*