Coast Guard personnel rescue babies from the flood in Barangay 3, Himamaylan, Negros Occidental, on Thursday.* Coast Guard District Southern Visayas photo
Hospitals and other health facilities across Negros Occidental have been placed on “Code White” or heightened alert due to heavy rains and widespread flooding.
Dr. Girlie Pinongan, Negros Occidental provincial health officer, said on Thursday, July 17, that all health facilities province-wide are on heightened alert as rains brought on by the Southwest Monsoon and Tropical Depression “Crising” are expected to persist until Friday.
Pinongan urged residents in flood-prone areas to evacuate to higher ground.
She also advised anyone exposed to floodwaters to visit health centers to receive doxycycline, a prophylactic treatment for leptospirosis.
Residents are reminded to take precautions against water-borne diseases, Pinongan added.
“It is best to boil drinking water to avoid illnesses caused by flooding contamination,” she stressed.
Pinongan explained that diseases like typhoid fever, cholera, and leptospirosis are directly linked to water contamination, which is a major risk factor during flooding.
She also noted that the incidence of vector-borne diseases such as malaria, dengue, and yellow fever increases due to standing water, which serves as breeding sites for mosquitoes.*