A flooded community in Jipapad, Eastern Samar in this Feb. 10, 2025 photo. The Department of Health (DOH) has warned the public against water-borne diseases as weather disturbances dumped heavy rains in the region since last week. (Photo courtesy of Jipapad loca government unit)
|TACLOBAN CITY – The Department of Health (DOH) in Region 8 (Eastern Visayas) has warned the public against water-borne diseases as weather disturbances dumped heavy rains in the region since last week.
In an advisory issued Monday, the DOH regional office said heavy rainfall may cause flooding that brings health risks such as leptospirosis, cholera, typhoid fever, hepatitis A, influenza-like diseases, malaria, and dengue.
“We remind the public to be alert and safe against the risks and diseases caused by heavy rainfall that may cause flooding that brings health risks,” the DOH said in a statement.
The health department urged the public to be critical of drinking water quality, to cook food well and place it in sealed or covered containers for leftovers, wear the right clothes to stay dry and warm, keep an eye on children and don’t let them play in the flood or rain, keep body clean and make it a habit to wash hands before and after eating.
Other reminders include the disposal of garbage properly in the right container, consultation with a doctor immediately if experiencing symptoms of infection or disease, preparation of an emergency kit, monitoring weather reports, and follow the notices from local government units.
Since last week, most parts of the region have been experiencing heavy rainfall due to the shear line.
On Monday noon, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) issued an orange rainfall warning for Eastern Samar and Leyte provinces due to easterlies.
Easterlies are winds that blow from east to west, predominantly in the Earth’s equatorial regions.
Areas under orange warning receive rainfall between 15 millimeters (mm) and 30 mm within an hour, and this will continue in the next two hours. In an hour, this volume of rainfall can fill four, 20-gallon water containers per square meter.
Meanwhile, areas placed under yellow warning are the provinces of Samar, Biliran, and Southern Leyte.
Areas under a yellow rainfall warning will experience rainfall between 7.5 mm and 15 mm within one hour and this will continue in the next two hours. (With reports from Gellian Ochida & Chrisfel Cardante, OJTs/PNA)