BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL G. BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – Dengue cases in Negros Occidental continue to surge, data from the Department of Health (DOH) in Western Visayas showed.
In Morbidity Week No. 26 (June 26 to July 2), the province recorded 185 new cases.
Total cases in the province since January are now at 1,869 with 10 fatalities.
Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said DOH Region 6 will send a team to Negros Occidental to help the provincial government deal with the surge.
“Right now Negros Occidental is No. 1 one in Western Visayas in dengue cases,” the governor lamented.
In Bacolod City, DOH-6 reported 21 new cases from June 26 to July 2, with total cases now at 269 (from Jan. 1 to July 2).
The city also recorded one new fatality, bringing the total dengue-related deaths to five.
Previously, Provincial Health Office (PHO) head Dr. Ernell Tumimbang pointed out that despite the increase, Negros Occidental is not yet in a dengue epidemic level.
Bacolod City Health Office, meanwhile, reported five dengue fatalities in the past six months.
The fatalities were an 11-year-old boy from Barangay Singcang-Airport; a 20-year-old woman from Barangay Pahanocoy; a 19-year-old man from Barangay Sum-ag; a 75-year-old male from Barangay Tangub; and a three-year-old girl from Barangay Mansilingan.
Dengue causes a severe flu-like illness that could sometimes be fatal.
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.
The two mosquitoes known to spread dengue are the Aedes aegypti and the Aedes albopictus./PN
