The Department of Health on Tuesday reported a total of 3,729 cholera cases since the start of the year, which is 282 percent higher compared to the data during the same period last year.
Health Officer-in-Charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said only 976 people were infected with cholera or bacterial disease usually spread through contaminated water during the same period in 2021.
“Cumulatively, most of the cholera cases were reported from Region 8, Region 11, and Caraga,” Vergeire said.
From 28 August to 4 September alone, 258 cases were recorded, the majority of these cases were from Regions 8, 5, and 6.
Vergeire said most of the cases were children aged five to nine years old.
“The most common cause would be of course the unsafe drinking water,” she said.
The Health official also attributed the high cases of cholera to the contamination of water systems due to continuous rains over the past weeks.
“We know that during the rainy season, there are floods and many go to evacuation centers. Because of calamities, our water systems are affected,” Vergeire said.
She said a total of 33 people have died from cholera since the start of the year.
She also said that Central Luzon, Western Visayas, and Eastern Visayas have already surpassed the epidemic threshold levels for cholera based on the same period.