MindanaoToday.com | DOH-10 reports of 84 deaths due to dengue
By: Uriel Quilinguing
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Mosquito-borne dengue fever has claimed 84 lives in Northern Mindanao this year, the Department of Health Region 10 (DOH-10) reported on Friday, August 30.
The 84 were among the 15,798 persons whose dengue viral infections were vetted by the DOH-10’s disease surveillance unit from January 1 to August 24, this year.
Medical technologist Gemma Uy of DOH-10, in a Talakayan-Konsultayo forum, said the 15,798 indicates a 56-percent increase over the 10,081 cases recorded in the same period last year.
Uy said the region’s dengue epidemic threshold had already been breached in the last three morbidity weeks, the latest was the August 18 to 24 period.
Among provinces, Bukidnon had the most dengue patients with 6,693 including the 24 who died while Cagayan de Oro was highest among cities, with 1,182 cases with five deaths.
Bukidnon’s Malaybalay and Valencia cities recorded 868 and 852 dengue cases, respectively, while towns with relatively high infections were Pangantucan (610), Manolo Fortich (542), and Don Carlos (233).
Last week, the City Health Office of Cagayan de Oro reported that villages with 50 or more dengue cases were in Carmen (122), Patag (89), Balulang (71), Lumbia (57), Kauswagan (50) and Canitoan (50).
Iligan, a highly-urbanized city like Cagayan de Oro, logged in 901 dengue cases while two of her patients succumbed to the infection.
The other provinces and their dengue cases, as of August 24, this year were: Misamis Oriental (2,798), Misamis Occidental (2,314), Lanao del Norte (1,696), and Camiguin (214).
DENGUE OUTBREAK
In the forum, Uy clarified that the declaration of a dengue outbreak or epidemic should come from the local governments, upon the recommendation of the local health offices, not from the DOH-10.
The municipal government of Pangantucan, Bukidnon declared a dengue outbreak within the first quarter this year due to clustering of dengue infections.
The DOH-10, she said, has advised all public and private hospitals to reactivate their dengue fast-lanes to ensure immediate treatment and maintenance of patients.
Most people with dengue may have mild or no symptoms and will get better in one to two weeks, but dengue can be severe and may lead to death, the DOH-10 medical technologist warned.
Once infected with dengue virus, symptoms may appear within the 4th to 10th day and these include high fever (40°C), severe headache, pain behind the eyes, muscle and joint pains, nausea, vomiting, swollen glands, and rashes.
Uy said dengue patients must drink adequate amount of water to stay hydrated.
VECTOR CONTROL
As early as January this year, the DOH-10 started the distribution of vector control commodities that include insecticides and larvicides for fogging and misting in areas where clustering of cases have been observed.
Female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are the vectors of dengue virus (DENV) which has already evolved into four serotypes: DENV-1, DENV-2, DENV-3, and DENV-4. Each need blood to produce about a hundred eggs which could be hatched into larvae, turned into pupae, and fly as adults within 10 days.
The DOH-10 had also turned over 1,876 rolls of insecticide-treated screens during the National School Maintenance Week (popularly known as Brigada Eskwela) from July 22 to 27.
These, even as they reminded the public of the 5S anti-dengue campaign: Search and destroy breeding places, Self-Protection, Seek early consultation and treatment, Support fogging if necessary, and Stay hydrated. (Uriel Quilinguing)
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