Death toll in diarrhea outbreak in Palawan hits 23

The death toll in the diarrhea outbreak in Palawan province has risen to 23 as the epidemic spread to another town, a report from the regional police said Wednesday. Superintendent Gregorio Olaguer of the Marinduque-Mindoro Occidental-Mindoro Oriental-Palawan (MIMAROPA) Regional Police said three of the fatalities were from Barangay Panalingaan in Rizal town. The rest are believed to be from Barangay Culandanum in Bataaza town, where the diarrhea was first reported. Others who were still suffering from diarrhea were temporarily brought to Sitio Linao Elementary School in Bataraza for treatment, Olaguer said. Provincial health officer Dr. Ed Cruz could not confirm the actual number of deaths as of posting time. In an earlier interview, Cruz said the diarrhea outbreak may have been caused by contaminated water sources. The Department of Health (DOH) has already set up a treatment camp in Bataraza to treat those who are still suffering from diarrhea. Residents were asked to boil their drinking water as the water source may still be contaminated. The DOH also sent a medical team to the site to get water samples for analysis. — with Candice Montenegro/RSJ/KBK, GMA News