BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL G. BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – The number of dengue cases in Negros Occidental has now reached 800 recorded from Jan. 1 to May 28, data from the Department of Health (DOH) in Western Visayas showed.
For Morbidity Week #21 (as of May 28), Negros Occidental recorded 105 new cases. Total cases were up 357 percent from last year in the same
Deaths, however, remain at five since Jan. 1 and the province still has the highest number of cases in the region with Antique province coming in second with a 216 percent increase, and Iloilo province at third with an increase of 116 percent.
Bacolod City, meanwhile, remains at 139 cases as of May 28 with no new cases recorded.
Negros Occidental provincial administrator Atty. Rayfrando Diaz said he had emphasized to Provincial Health Officer (PHO) Dr. Ernell Tumimbang that their preventive measures against dengue should have been in place since January.
“Ngaa naglambot sa amu ‘ni when the budget has been there since Jan. 1,” Diaz pointed out.
However, Diaz said the PHO is now doubling their efforts to catch up and are currently visiting areas of the province where clustering of dengue cases have been reported.
Dengue causes a severe flu-like illness that could sometimes be fatal. Its carriers are day-biting mosquitoes.
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
