ILOILO City – People became complacent, according to the Department of Health’s (DOH) regional epidemiologist in trying to explain the numerous dengue cases in Western Visayas. At 13,257 cases, the region now has the most number of dengue patients in the country, 78 of whom died.
DOH Region 6 had been issuing public warnings as early as last year about a possible surge in dengue cases, according to Dr. Jessie Glen Alonsabe, citing the trend observed in recent years – dengue outbreaks tend to occur every three years.
But instead of taking precautionary measures, people became complacent, lamented Alonsabe, perhaps due to the lull in cases in 2018 and 2017.
It was way back in 2016 when the region experienced a dramatic spike in dengue cases, he said.
DOH 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).
Iloilo City had five dengue-related deaths; Antique, four; Bacolod City, three; and Guimaras, two.
It is important to follow the doctor’s advice, stressed Alonsabe, citing the case of a parent in Iloilo City who failed to have his five-year-old child undergo laboratory tests because the child’s fever had subsided. The child died two days after.
“In dengue, the critical period is when the patient has no more fever. Amo gid ina ang balantayan nga period. That is when internal bleeding and complications develop. Indi ina siling nga nag ayo na sya kay wala na hilanat,” Alonsabe explained.
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 egypti) 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 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.
Based on the latest report of the DOH Epidemiology Bureau, from June 16 to 22 alone, 3,610 dengue cases were reported in the country.
This brought the recorded cases from all over the country (since January 2019) to a cumulative total of 98,179 with 428 deaths.
Meanwhile, the 13,257 dengue cases in Region 6’s six provinces and two highly urbanized cities recorded from Jan. 1 to June 29 were broken down by DOH as follows:
* Iloilo province – 4,454
* Negros Occidental – 3,004
* Capiz – 2,202
* Aklan – 1,567
* Iloilo City – 640
* Bacolod City – 504
* Antique – 407
* Guimaras – 352
* others (dengue acquired from other regions but patients detected in Western Visayas) – 125
The January to June cases this year were 216 percent higher than last year’s in the same period (4,198 cases with 36 deaths).
Alonsabe said children 10 years old and below were most vulnerable. The youngest recorded patient was one month old while the oldest was 98 years old.
He reminded the public to observe DOH’s 4S strategy against dengue: “search and destroy” mosquito breeding sites; employ “self-protection measures” such as wearing trousers and long-sleeved shirts, and daily use of mosquito repellant; “seek early consultation,”; and “support fogging/spraying” only in hotspot areas where increase in cases is registered for two consecutive weeks to prevent an outbreak./PN
What is done to minimize th breeding of the mosquitoes…. Not just water areas in people’s homes but is there a collective exercise which the goverment can carry out to clean or treat some areas to minimize the breeding or spread process