KALIBO, Aklan – Dengue cases in Aklan continue to increase, according to the Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit of the Department of Health (DOH) in Western Visayas.
Aklan had 39 cases between Jan. 1 and May 14, up by 39.28 percent from the previous 28 cases in the same morbidity week last year.
A 74-year-old woman from Numancia, Aklan died of dengue fever on March 18 while undergoing treatment. She was the lone fatality from dengue so far in Aklan this year.
Dengue is caused by day-biting mosquitoes. It causes headaches, vomiting, internal bleeding, severe pain, rashes and high temperatures. It could be fatal if not managed well.
The case numbers of Aklan represented 2.9 percent of 1,355 dengue cases in the region.
Aklan had a case fatality rate (CFR) of 2.6 percent, higher than region’s CFR of 1.4 percent.
DOH saw high fatality rates in Bacolod City with 3.3 percent and Iloilo province with 2.7 percent.
It noted 19 deaths in the region from Jan. 1 to May 14 compared to eight deaths last year.
Some six people died in Iloilo province of dengue fever-induced complications, while Negros Occidental had five deaths, and Bacolod City with four deaths this year.
The youngest fatality was a two-year old boy from Miag-ao, Iloilo; he died on May 14, 2022. A 75-year-old male, a resident of Bacolod City, became the oldest person to die of dengue fever this year.
Negros Occidental had the most dengue cases with 518 followed by Antique with 316 and Iloilo with 222 dengue cases.
The age group, one to 10 years old, had the most number of dengue cases in the region at 537 or 39.63 percent of the total cases.
Age group 11 to 20 years old also contributed 515, while nearly 13 percent or 173 cases involved 21- to 30-year-olds.
Females were commonly affected by dengue with 726 or 54 percent of the region’s cases.
DOH pointed out that 44 barangays in Western Visayas had clustering of cases for morbidity week April 17 to May 14, 2022.
The towns with clustering of cases in Panay Island were Bugasong, Sibalom, San Jose de Buenavista, Hamtic, Anini-y and San Remigio in Antique with nine to 23 dengue cases, along with Roxas City and Jamindan in Capiz, and San Joaquin, Guimbal, Ajuy, Tubungan, Guimbal, Miag-ao, Tigbauan and Oton.
With the increasing incidence of dengue cases, the health department urged the local government units to reactivate Dengue Task Forces, conduct meetings with hospitals and referral facilities as part of preparedness plans, and pre-position dengue prevention, control and response logistics./PN
