TWO residents of Peam Khes village in Stung Treng province died from severe vomiting and diarrhoea late last week, and a further 20 were admitted to the district health centre with similar symptoms, health officials said Tuesday.

Chhoun Samneang, director of Siem Pang district health centre, said the 20 people who had been treated were all in recovery, and that the two who died had not sought treatment at the health centre.

“Two people died in their village, a 55-year-old man and a 24-year-old woman, after they had severe diarrhoea,” he said.

Chhoun Samneang said patient samples had been sent for testing, and that emergency health workers have been put on standby in the village so that any further cases can be treated as quickly as possible.

Bou Vutha, deputy director of the Stung Treng provincial health department, said Tuesday that there had been a similar outbreak in the same district earlier this month after a group of about 12 villagers returned from a trip to the forest.

“We don’t know what kind of water they drank when they stayed in the forest, but when they arrived home they had diarrhoea and vomiting,” she said. She added that they had ignored advice given to them by health officials.

“I went down to their villages and explained to them to bring boiled water with them when they go into the forest. I don’t know why they didn’t follow this advice,” she said.