ADMITTED patients in both Barili District Hospital and the town’s infirmary have exceeded the full bed capacity due to the increasing number of typhoid cases in the southwestern Cebu town.Dr. Johanna Lois de Leon, medical officer III of Barili District Hospital, told SunStar Cebu that 27 of the 60 patients admitted in the 25-bed hospital on Sunday, June 26, 2022 have been diagnosed with typhoid fever.In a separate interview, Dr. Joseph Martel Mahinay, doctor of Barili Infirmary, said the facility only has an eight-bed capacity but they already have 14 persons admitted with typhoid fever as of Sunday.Mahinay said some of the patients were being monitored along the hallway, adding that there were also five individuals who were subjected to confirmatory tests for typhoid fever in the infirmary.Majority of the 41 typhoid cases currently admitted in Barili District Hospital and the town’s infirmary are children.Mahinay said nine of the 14 confirmed and active cases in the infirmary are children. De Leon failed to give the exact number of children with typhoid fever, but she said the majority of the patients afflicted with the illness are also children.Moderate casesAt the infirmary, Mahinay said all of their admitted patients are moderate cases, adding that the peak of cases in the infirmary was noted last week since they started to detect the disease in March.For her part, de Leon said that all the admitted typhoid cases in the district hospital were in stable condition, while others were improving and they could be discharged anytime soon.When asked how she would describe the situation in Barili, de Leon said this could be called an outbreak because the number of typhoid fever cases have been increasing since May.From March 16 to June 25, data from the Cebu Provincial Health Office (CPHO) showed that 98 persons fell ill to the disease with three deaths in 24 of the 42 barangays in Barili.“Not counting pa tong uban nga wala pa gyud na-diagnosed but nagsige na og manifest og mga hybrid nga fever, mga classic symptoms gyud sa typhoid,” de Leon said.InvestigationDe Leon said the causes of the disease include food and contaminated water, which is why the Barili Municipal Government has ordered an investigation into the water supply in the town.“Siyempre mga bata dili man gyud na ingon nga punit diretso ra sud baba og unsay mapunitan. So mao gyud na akong gidudahan nga naa gyuy cause nga laganap gyud ang typhoid dinhi sa Barili,” she said, adding that the other common symptoms are abdominal pain, diarrhea and constipation.Test kitsDe Leon said they have test kits that could detect the disease, adding that the Cebu Provincial Government has provided them additional medicines and test kits as well.“Atong gilikayan nga complications, kanang mag-bleeding na gyud ang iyahang gastrointestinal,” she said, which may be the cause of death of the three individuals who succumbed to the disease in Barangays Poblacion and Gunting.Maria Rosario Mompar, 73-year-old mother of 29-year-old Shaun Miguel Mompar who succumbed to the disease on June 14, said her family had no idea as to where her youngest son got the disease.Mompar said they have been drinking purified water that is sold from the refilling station and not from the tap water.The grieving mother who last saw her son on June 10 before the latter was admitted to the hospital, said Shaun was also not an easy-go-lucky person as he often stayed at home.Sein Joseph Mompar, older brother of Shaun, questioned the findings of the district hospital, adding that Shaun was diagnosed with typhoid fever on June 11, a day after he was admitted. But the laboratory tests conducted by a diagnostic clinic in Talisay City released negative results on June 13.De Leon said gastrointestinal bleeding experienced by the three individuals who succumbed to the disease, including Shaun, may be the cause of their death.RequestSein, who had been watching over his younger brother in the hospital, urged the government to provide enough equipment and manpower to the district hospital that they may no longer have to transfer critical patients to the hospitals in Metro Cebu, particularly in Cebu City.The older brother of the deceased also urged the government to ease the restrictions in the hospital with only one watcher to accompany the patient, saying there should be at least two persons in order for the other to take a rest.Meanwhile, Mayeth Selitona of Barangay Sta. Ana, a mother of a 12-year-old grade six graduating student who was admitted to Barili Infirmary on June 25, said they only drink mineral or purified water.Selitona said his son was experiencing an on-and-off high fever for about a week before they sought consultation at the infirmary. The boy’s fever reached to around 40 degrees celsius and he also experienced chilling from time to time.She said his son may have bought an ice water taken from a deep well or tap water during his limited face-to-face classes.“Kay og sa mineral pani, maapil unta mi. Maong naglibog mi og maayo asa ni gikan,” said Selitona, who is hoping that his son would be discharged prior to his graduation day this week.Leizel Baclay of Barangay Campanga, for her part, said his 17-year-old son had vomited apart from having high fever before he was admitted to the infirmary last Thursday, June 23.Baclay said they sell ice water taken from tap water, which his Grade 12 son had drank apart from other foods he had consumed prior to his symptoms.But the 45-year-old mother doubted it as the source of the disease since his other family members did not exhibit symptoms of typhoid fever.Both patients, however, are reportedly improving compared to the previous days or prior to their admission.