"The most likely vehicle was the water supplied by MIWD (that is) contaminated with fecal materials of a case or carrier," said DoH Regional Director Lydia Depra-Ramos in a report of the DoH findings.

A copy of the report was submitted to Mayor Jerry Trenas for any appropriate immediate action.

The public may still drink from the water supplied by the MIWD but only after the supplied water is boiled for 20 minutes.

The DoH has recorded a total of 315 cases of typhoid fever as of this March.

The DoH and the City Health Office had conducted a bacteriological analysis test of water from household faucets, deep wells, and refilling stations in the affected area.

In its initial report, the DoH suspected that the possible cause of the outbreak was contaminated drinking water.

 "The results of the water analysis confirmed the suspicion of a contaminated water drinking water source," Ramos added.

Ramos also noted that most households in the city have toilets but some of them have no septic tanks and toilet outlets go directly to the drainage canal.

She observed that MIWD pipes have leaks and partly submerged in canals.

She also described the physical situation on the streets, of which many areas are littered with garbage.

Typhoid cases in the city have drastically increased compared to 34 recorded cases in the first three months in 2007, health officials said.

DoH records on the typhoid fever cases showed that in the city proper, there are 162 cases, with four deaths; La Paz, 28 cases; Arevalo, 18; Molo, 32; Jaro, 45; and Mandurriao, 30.