BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL G. BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – The death toll due to dengue in Negros Occidental is now 14, data released by the Department of Health (DOH) in Western Visayas yesterday morning showed.
As of July 23, Negros Occidental had 221 new cases.
Total cases in the province are now at 2,747.
Cases in Bacolod City are also increasing; 30 new infections were recorded, bringing the total cases to 443.
The dengue death toll in Bacolod City since Jan. 1 is now at seven.
Earlier on July 23, Negros Occidental governor Eugenio Jose Lacson met with 31 Municipal and City Health Officers in the province to discuss the rising number of dengue cases.
The province is bracing for an increase in dengue cases in the next two months brought by rainy conditions.
Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral infection causing a severe flu-like illness that could sometimes be fatal. Its carriers are day-biting mosquitoes (Aedes albpictus and Aedes aegypti) that live and breed and clean, stagnant water.
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
