Three weeks after Mt. Kanlaon’s eruption, evacuees in Negros Island are in a stable state of health with medical concerns being addressed through ongoing consultations, the Department of Health in the Negros Island Region (DOH-NIR) said.

“So far, they are stable at the primary care level. We were already able to reintroduce some of the programs,” DOH-NIR Director Razel Nikka Hao said during a press conference.

Mt. Kanlaon erupted on December 9, 2024, prompting the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology to raise its alert level to 3, indicating “magmatic eruption has begun and may progress to further explosive eruptions.”

According to the DOH-NIR, 13,920 individuals, or 4,325 families, are sheltering in 34 evacuation centers.

These include 24 centers in Bago, La Carlota, and San Carlos cities, as well as La Castellana town in Negros Occidental, and 10 centers in Canlaon City, Negros Oriental.

La Castellana has the highest number, with 11 evacuation centers.

From December 9 to 31, the DOH-NIR conducted 3,821 consultations and treatments, with the most common cases being fever, acute respiratory infections, and food- and water-borne diseases.

“Many of these cases are being managed at the evacuation sites by primary healthcare providers. Some have been referred to hospitals, but most were treated and returned to the centers,” Hao said.

Dr. Lyle Ladera, head of the DOH-NIR public health cluster, said each evacuation center has a DOH desk providing consultations and monitoring health data.

“We tally the numbers daily. If a threshold is reached, we conduct investigations to address and prevent outbreaks in evacuation centers,” Ladera added.

Currently, the DOH-NIR has deployed six physicians, 43 nurses, 77 medical staff, and 14 technical staff across evacuation centers.

Their efforts are bolstered by medical missions from partner hospitals, including Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital in Bacolod City.

To further assist evacuees, the DOH-NIR has distributed supplies such as face masks, N95 masks, nebulizer kits, first aid kits, hygiene kits, nasal cannulas, water purification tablets, alcohol, and various medicines. (PNA)