BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL G. BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – Negros Occidental recorded its first dengue fatality for this year last month.
According to the Department of Health (DOH) Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit, the patient was a seven-year-old girl. She died on Jan. 21.
Data also showed Negros Occidental with the highest number of dengue cases in the region at 93 after recording 23 additional cases from Jan. 1 to 21.
Aklan was second in the list with 57 followed by Iloilo province with 54.
Bacolod City, meanwhile, had 30 cases, of which seven were new.
In total for the whole region, dengue cases are at 326.
Dengue is spread by the aedes aegypti and aedes albopictus mosquitoes. It causes a severe flu-like illness that could sometimes be fatal.
According to the World Health Organization, individuals should suspect dengue when a high fever (40 degrees centigrade) is accompanied by two of the following symptoms: severe headache, pain behind the eyes, nausea / vomiting, swollen glands, muscle and joint pains, and rashes.
For severe dengue, the warning signs to look out for are: severe abdominal pain, persistent vomiting, rapid breathing, bleeding gums, blood in vomit, fatigue, and restlessness./PN
