ILOILO – The rural health unit of the municipality of Maasin could no longer accommodate more dengue patients seeking help. There were no more space and beds available.
The local government thus decided to make use of the municipal gym as temporary extension of the rural health unit.
Data from the Provincial Health Office showed Maasin having 104 dengue cases as of July 6 – 1,386 percent higher than the seven cases recorded for the whole of 2018.
According to Mayor Francis Amboy, 46 dengue patients have been staying in the gym since July 16.
Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral infection causing a severe flu-like illness that could sometimes be fatal.
Amboy knew how serious the dengue problem had become. His two daughters were dengue patients, too. He had them confined at a hospital in Iloilo City.
At the gym, volunteer doctors and nurses – all residents of Maasin – were checking the patients, said Amboy.
The patients brought with them folding beds. The municipal government supplied them with mosquito nets donated by concerned citizens.
On June 12 the local government of Maasin declared a state of calamity due to dengue.
Amboy said this allowed the municipality to use their calamity fund to purchase medicines and release financial assistance to patients confined in government hospitals.
According to the mayor, the local government initially released P2,000 cash assistance to each hospitalized dengue patient but this week he had it trimmed down to P1,000 due to the increasing number of cases.
Amboy urged residents of Maasin to continue cleaning their surroundings to get rid of the breeding places of mosquitoes.
The dengue mosquitoes Aedes egypti and Aedes albopictus are day-biting and breed in clear, stagnant water.
Amboy also said residents exhibiting symptoms of dengue should immediately have themselves examined at the rural health unit.
“Kon may nabatyagan kamo bisan gamay nga hilanat magkadto lang sa rural health unit kay libre tanan, pati laboratory. Indi magkahdlok kay alagaan kamo sang banwa,” said Amboy.
Just this Monday morning, Amboy’s 12-year-old daughter had fever and was confirmed to have dengue after a laboratory test.
In the afternoon of the same day, the mayor’s seven-year old child was brought to the rural health unit of Maasin for a dengue test, too, and turned out positive.
Now, both girls are confined at QualiMed Hospital in Iloilo City.
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 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./PN
