ILOILO – The Provincial Health Office (PHO) recorded 104 suspected cases of chikungunya, a mosquito-borne disease similar to dengue, in this province. Ninety-six of these cases were in the town of Alimodian.
The suspected cases in Alimodian were concentrated in three barangays – Atabay (52), Laylayan (23) and Punong (21).
According to Dr. Ma. Socorro Colmenares Quiñon of the PHO, these cases were recorded from January to July 28 this year.
The other suspected cases were in the municipalities of Guimbal (one), Calinog (one) and Leganes (six).
Blood samples were collected and analyzed at the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) in Metro Manila. The suspected case in Calinog turned out negative, said Quiñon.
For the suspected cases in Leganes and Guimbal and Alimodian’s barangays Laylyan and Punong, the results were yet to be released.
Of the 52 suspected cases in Barangay Atabay, 12 samples were collected for RITM analysis and six turned positive, said Quiñon.
Chikungunya shares some clinical signs with dengue and can be misdiagnosed in areas where dengue is common, according to the World Health Organization (WHO.
Symptoms include fever, rashes and joint pain.
According to WHO, most chikungunya patients recover fully, but in some cases joint pain may persist for several months, or even years.
Chikungunya is rarely fatal. Symptoms are generally self-limiting and last for two to three days.
Occasional cases of eye, neurological and heart complications have been reported, as well as gastrointestinal complaints.
Serious complications are not common, but in older people, the disease can contribute to the cause of death, said WHO.
Of the 52 suspected cases in Barangay Atabay, 33 were women and 19 were men, PHO data showed, and most were between one to 15 years old.
“Not only dengue, we are concerned about the spread of chikungunya, too, because pareho man lang sila vector, ang Aedes egypti nga lamok,” said Quiñon.
To stop the spread, the cleanliness of surroundings is important, she stressed, and the breeding places of mosquitoes destroyed.
Quiñon also said the PHO made available larvicide to be sprayed in Barangay Atabay and Olyset Net rolls to be used in school classrooms./PN
