BAGUIO CITY, Benguet, Philippines — A sharp increase in the number of people suffering from diarrhea and acute gastroenteritis in this city during the New Year holiday has forced local officials to declare an outbreak on Wednesday. The City Health Services Office has recorded 1,761 patients with gastroenteritis (inflammation of the digestive system), which rose from the initial 1,490 when the city government on Tuesday urged residents and tourists to “self-report” their conditions through the city information office. Many of the reported responses came from tourists who were in the city in the first days of January, said Mayor Benjamin Magalong at a briefing after convening a health emergency team to address the problem. Magalong said he and some of…
