Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

Article (news)

THUMBNAIL-MEDICAL

Raphael Bosano

ABS-CBN News

<p>MANILA — Two of the six deaths in Siquijor that was attributed to glanders disease was, in fact, not glanders but melioidosis, according to the Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Ted Herbosa.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/health-science/2025/5/29/2-die-from-glanders-in-siquijor-bohol-heightens-alert-vs-mpox-1229">2 die from glanders in Siquijor; Bohol heightens alert vs mpox</a></div><p>Herbosa himself made the announcement at the sidelines of the launching of the Patient Appointment System at the Fabella Hospital in Manila.</p><p>“It’s not glanders. It was just reported to me this morning. According to the DNA analysis of the bacteria, it’s melioidosis,” he said.</p><p>According to the US Center for Disease Control, melioidosis is a bacterial infection in both humans and animals and is usually spread through contact with contaminated soil, air or water.</p><p>“Cases may increase after hurricanes, heavy rain, and other severe weather events,” it said.</p><p>Herbosa said that the two deaths in Siquijor were earlier confirmed as glanders in a laboratory in the Visayas. But further scrutiny by the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) showed that the bacteria was Burkholderia pseudomallei which causes melioidosis.</p><p>Like glanders, melioidosis is a zoonotic disease that can be contracted by consuming infected meat and wading through contaminated mud and water.</p><p>In the Philippines, people who are most at risk are those with prolonged exposure to such kinds of environment.</p><p>“Mga farmer, mga lumulusong sa putik. Recommendation namin, magbota talaga sila. Lalo na dun sa isla ng Siquijor.”</p><p>(Farmers and those who wade in mud. Our recommendation is to always wear boots especially those in Siquijor.)</p><p>Animals that get melioidosis include sheep, goats, pigs, horses, cats, dogs and cows.</p><p>In humans, symptoms develop between one to four weeks after exposure with symptoms similar to flu like illnesses — fever, cough, chest pain, headache.</p><p>The disease can affect different organ systems and cause problems in the liver, prostate, joints, bones, lymph nodes, skin or brain. It can also lead to sepsis.</p><p>Despite this, melioidosis is manageable either through intravenous or oral antibiotics. </p><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6PUPpnN1JvE?&amp;pp=0gcJCdgAo7VqN5tD&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>Two of the six deaths in Siquijor that was attributed to glanders disease was, in fact, not glanders but melioidosis.</p>

Two of the six deaths in Siquijor that was attributed to glanders disease was, in fact, not glanders but melioidosis.

Health chief corrects regional confirmation of glanders-related death in Siquijor

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Health chief corrects regional confirmation of glanders-related death in Siquijor

Raphael Bosano,

ABS-CBN News

Published May 30, 2025 02:28 PM PHT

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Melioidosis

Siquijor

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