ILOILO City – From Jan. 1 to May 16 this year this city recorded 145 dengue cases with one death – 74.2 percent lower than the 562 cases with five deaths reported in the same period last year.
The mortality was recorded in February yet, Mayor Jerry Treñas said.
The City Health Office bared the following breakdown of cases:
* Arevalo – 18
* Bo. Obrero (Lapuz) – 10
* City Proper (Sto. Rosario) – 13
* City Proper (Tanza) – 10
* Jaro I – 12
* Jaro II – 25 with one death
* La Paz – 18
* Mandurriao – 15
* Molo – 24
The age range of the dengue patients were between one month old to 43 years old.
Treñas stressed the importance of keeping the surroundings clean. The day-biting dengue mosquitoes Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus breed in clean, stagnant water.
The mayor is wary of a possible surge in dengue cases.
“We saw how difficult the situation was last year when there was a dengue outbreak. This year it could be doubly hard. We are already dealing with the coronavirus disease 2019,” said Treñas.
Two simultaneous disease outbreaks could strain hospitals, he stressed.
Dengue is a severe flu-like illness that could sometimes be fatal. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 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 rash.
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.
On the other hand, COVID-19 is the infectious disease caused by the most recently discovered coronavirus. This new virus and disease were unknown before the outbreak began in Wuhan, China in December 2019.
The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, tiredness, and dry cough.
Some patients may have aches and pains, nasal congestion, runny nose, sore throat or diarrhea. These symptoms are usually mild and begin gradually. Some people become infected but don’t develop any symptoms and don’t feel unwell.
Most people recover from the disease without needing special treatment, according to WHO. However, older people, and those with underlying medical problems like high blood pressure, heart problems or diabetes, are more likely to develop serious illness.
People can catch COVID-19 from others who have the virus. The disease can spread from person to person through small droplets from the nose or mouth which are spread when a person with COVID-19 coughs or exhales.
The city government is campaigning for the 4S strategy to combat dengue. These are the following:
Search and destroy
* Cover drums, pails, and other waste containers at all times.
* Clean and replace the water in flower vases once a week.
* Cover the holes around the house with soil or sand.
* Remove or pierce old tires used as roof support, also those tires placed around the house that might hold water.
* Flip over empty bottles, jars, tin cans and other items that can collect water.
* Clean and remove water from dish racks and other household items that can hold water.
Self-protection measures
* Use mosquito repellants to avoid mosquito bites.
* Use mosquito nets when sleeping at daytime.
* Wear long sleeves or cloth that will protect your skin from mosquito bites.
Seek early consultation
* Seek and consult with the nearest health facility if you already have fever for two days.
Say “yes” to fogging only during outbreaks
* Fogging should only be done when there is an impending outbreak and during an outbreak./PN
