TUGUEGARAO CITY, Cagayan (PIA)- - The Department of Health - Region 2 presented updates on the status of water-borne diseases, influenza, leptospirosis, and dengue (WILD) in a meeting of the Regional Inter-agency Committee on Environmental Health held in this city today.

According to the agency’s Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit, cases of certain diseases in Cagayan Valley increased this year compared to 2022.

Specifically, acute bloody diarrhea underwent a 224 percent increase; typhoid fever, 50 percent; influenza-like illnesses (ILI), 168 percent; and leptospirosis, 38 percent. 

Cases of dengue, on the other hand decreased at 54 percent.

The DOH-2 revealed further that most of those highly affected by these diseases are children falling under the one to ten-year old bracket.

Besides these illnesses, the agency also put out a warning regarding the spread of anthrax in the town of Baggao, Cagayan where positive cases of human infection were already identified.

The DOH-2 Health Promotion Unit attributed the spread of diseases mainly to poor hand hygiene.

The public is highly encouraged to observe proper hand hygiene as a habit in order to lessen the transmission of diseases. (JKC/PIA-Region 2)