Cholera outbreak strikes tribe

Cholera outbreak strikes tribe

MANILA (AFP): A cholera outbreak struck the B'laan tribe in the southern Philippines, killing two people and infecting 59 others, but the disease has since been contained, the health department said yesterday.

The May 1 to June 7 outbreak near the town of Tupi was the second reported by the government in the south over the past two months. Fifteen people were killed and 286 diarrhea cases in all were recorded in Baganga town in May.

In the Tupi area, the disease apparently spread after the tribesmen ate dog meat and home-made coconut wine at the wake of one of the two fatalities, a health department report said.

Poor sanitary conditions and the lack of potable water sources in the area helped spread the disease, it added.

Cholera used to be a major killer before the advent of antibiotics.