ONLY two typhoid cases remain active in the town of Barili, southwestern Cebu, almost a month after patients in their district hospital and the town’s infirmary exceeded the full bed capacity following a sudden spike of cases there.As of July 20, 2022, Barili’s Public Information Office reported through a social media post that only two typhoid cases admitted in the town’s medical facilities.Last June 26, about 60 patients diagnosed with typhoid fever were admitted in the district hospital while 14 persons were admitted in the infirmary, wherein some of the patients were being monitered along the hallway.The town’s district hospital can only accomodate 25 patients while its infirmary can only accomodate eight patients.Majority of the admitted patients in the town were children but the cases were considered moderate.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.Regular maintenance of water sourcesMary Jane Pañares, Barili public information officer, told SunStar Cebu on Wednesday, July 20, that they have been conducting a regular cleanup in their reservoirs in Cantabo, Gunting and Nasipit, and in Bolocboloc through the Waterworks Department.Pañares said they also conducted a cleanup in their spring boxes at Luhod and Kang-undo, Mantayupan where their water supply are sourced.Apart from that, the municipality is also conducting daily chlorination of their water sources.The Department of Health in Central Visayas (DOH 7) and Rural Health Unit earlier revealed that poor sanitation had contributed to the increase in cases in the town based on their house-to-house investigation.But Dr. Eugenia Mercedes Cañal, cluster head of the Regional Epidemiological and Surveillance Unit in Central Visayas, also said that they have not ignored the possibility that the water source in the town is contaminated, citing this as the most common source of typhoid fever along with improper preparation of food and poor sanitation.The DOH 7 has called on the public to make sure that the surroundings are clean and the food and water are not contaminated to prevent contracting diseases.