Suspected Water Contamination in Sibulan

I also flush with my foot. Actually, even a small amount of bacteria can affect us as it depends on the type of bacteria. E.coli itself consists of many STRAINS and they can vary from quite harmless (useful even) to lethal. The other issue is that once bacteria start growing in food, they may produce toxins and the amount of toxin may become very large over a period of time - so food we eat that was infected a while before may be loaded with toxins. Botulism is very dangerous in this way - incidentally, it can be found in honey and it is advised not to feed honey to children under 1 year of age.

Viruses are also a cause of food poisoning (e.g Norovirus) but they do not multiply or produce toxins in the food itself. However, they can be introduced to the food via faeces from a handler who did not wash their hands and it takes only 18 Norovirus particles to infect another person (yet BILLIONS are excreted in one person's faeces). I've had it and it is a terrible experience. If one infected person vomits in a room then it is likely most, if not all, present in that room will catch the disease.

Sleep well!

 

All joking aside, I have a very comprehensive list of Things in the Philippines that irritate me, annoy me and give me angst. Micro-organisms are not on that list.

 

That's because they are everywhere - whereas "We are out of stock" is not.

 

That indeed is on my list.

 

You mean "Out of Stock" is on your list of 'Things in the Philippines that irritate me, annoy me and give me angst'? I tried to do a similar list but went to my local store only to find pens and paper were out of stock! Who would have believed it.

 

OR . . .
There is one piece of paper that everyone scribbles on to test the pen. If the pen does not work they put it back in the container and test another one. Before long, all the pens in the container do not work because the ones that do work have been purchased. So there is lots of stock . . . . of pens that do not write.

 

Here is a bit more on that water contamination probem:

"According to initial investigation of the Sibulan health office, drinking water from an artesian well pump near a creek was contaminated with e.coli bacteria.

Health officials said the pump was placed near a piggery, which could have been the source of the contamination."

Yep, that'll do it. Wonder if the pump is still being used and if the piggery is still there.

 

And here is a link to the final word on the outbreak of the trots:

Diarrhea cases in Negros Oriental now under control: DOH

 

So the article writes about 169 people getting sick and went to the hospital.
What about the dozens if not hundreds that also got sick in some way or other but DID NOT go to the hospital.

I think it's save to assume that the real number of affected people is at least 10 times higher as reported.
I mean, heaps of people simply can't afford it. Others are just too dumb to realise that maybe they should go for a checkup.

 

Or they don't want to go anywhere because they know if they get outside a 10 ft radius of their toilet they will sh*t themselves.