ILOILO – The Provincial Health Office (PHO) recorded 1,469 dengue hemorrhagic cases with six deaths so far this year from January to Oct. 26.
The 10-month figure was 35 percent higher than the 1,086 cases with seven deaths recorded in 2017, said Dr. Maria Socorro Colmenares Quiñon of the PHO.
Dengue is caused by day-biting Aedes albopictus and Aedes egypti mosquitoes that breed in clear, stagnant water.
The 10 municipalities with the most number of cases were the following:
* Janiuay – 154 cases with two deaths
* Dumangas – 143 cases
* Ajuy – 93 cases with two deaths
* Oton – 86 cases
* Pavia – 81 cases
* Calinog – 73 cases with one death
* Passi City – 65 cases
* Pototan – 53 cases
* Barotac Nuevo – 38 cases
* Cabatuan – 38 cases
The municipality of San Rafael had 12 cases with one death.
All of Iloilo’s 42 towns and one component city (Passi) have dengue cases, PHO data showed.
The municipality of Tubungan had the lowest dengue cases – just one.
According to Quiñon, dengue cases in Iloilo appear to peak every three years, and the last was in 2016 yet.
Thus there could be a surge in cases next year, said Quiñon.
In 2016 PHO recorded 8,933 dengue cases with 20 deaths.
A viral disease, dengue symptoms include high fever, severe headache, severe pain behind the eyes, joint pain, muscle and/or bone pain, rashes, and mild nose or gum bleeding or bruising.
Quiñon advised the public to clean their surroundings and cover all water containers where mosquitoes may lay eggs.
This is part of the “4S” strategy that the Department of Health has been promoting for years already to fight the disease – “Search” and destroy mosquito breeding places.
The others are “Self-protection” measures, “Seek” early consultation for fever lasting more than two days, and “Say ‘no’” to indiscriminate fogging.
RAPID DENGUE TEST KIT
It was announced recently that Western Visayas was one of three pilot regions for the rollout of a new and locally developed technology for diagnosing dengue.
Biotek-M, rapid dengue test kit, had been approved for clinical use by the Food and Drug Administration, according to Dr. Raul V. Destura, the molecular microbiologist who developed this new dengue test.
This locally developed technology is also less costly, he added.
“I am very proud that the Department of Health is adopting it. We were here a couple of months ago kasi tini-train namin ang mga medical technologists ng Western Visayas,” said Destura who spoke at the 3rd Western Visayas Health Research Conference held in Iloilo City on Nov. 7.
The development of Biotek-M was fully funded by the government through the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and University of the Philippines.
The rapid dengue test kit is intended to reach marginalized sectors, particularly via barangay health centers, said Destura.
“Pagnakarating roon, then I know my job is complete,” he said.
The two other pilot regions for Biotek-M were the Ilocos Region (Region 1) and the Zamboanga Peninsula (Region 9)./PN
