BACOLOD City – Negros Occidental governor Eugenio Jose “Bong” Lacson yesterday placed the province under “heightened alert” status as dengue patients continue to rise.
According to Lacson, the province already reached the “alert threshold” – which prompted him to issue an executive order.
“We want to avoid the epidemic threshold and immediately raise the alert level for every local government unit in the province,” he stressed.
Department of Health’s (DOH) latest data gathered from Jan. 1 to June 29 this year showed Negros Occidental having the most number of dengue-related deaths (21), followed by Iloilo province (18), Capiz (14), and Aklan (11).
Lacson urged residents to go back to basics and practice cleanliness in their areas to thwart the looming dengue outbreak in the province.
He also seeks help to qualified donors as there is currently an ongoing shortage of blood supply in the province.
“We need donors and we are calling out,” Lacson said.
The governor also mulls to organize a blood-letting activity for provincial government employees to boost the supply of blood.
Based on the data released by the Provincial Health Office (PHO), cases of mosquito-borne disease showed a 73-percent increase this month.
PHO said areas with most dengue cases include Kabankalan, San Carlos, Bago, Cadiz, and Cauayan.
Dengue is a viral infection characterized by a high fever (40°C/104°F) accompanied by two of these symptoms: severe headache, pain behind the eyes, muscle and joint pains, nausea, vomiting, and swollen glands or rash, according to the World Health Organization.
The symptoms usually last for two to seven days. The virus’ incubation period lasts for four to 10 days after the bite from an infected mosquito.
The Aedes aegypti mosquito is the main vector of dengue. The species lives in urban habitats and breeds mostly in man-made containers.
It is a day-time feeder – its peak biting periods are early in the morning and in the evening before dusk./PN
