Mindanaotoday.com | DOH-10: Dengue downs 235 infants in NorMin
By: Uriel Quilinguing
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Two hundred thirty-five infants, all age below 12 months old, from Northern Mindanao were among the confirmed cases of dengue since January this year, the Department of Health-10 reported on Friday, August 12.
Dengue fever, an Aedes mosquito-borne disease, has claimed 17 lives in the region, so far.
And, 131 new dengue viral infections were confirmed by the DOH-10 Regional Epidemiology, Surveillance and Disaster Response Unit (Resdru) in its Dengue Morbidity Week 31 report, thus bringing the cumulative cases to 6,464 – a 159-percent increase over the 2,496 case-count for the same period (January 1 to August 6) last year.
The DOH-10 Resdru report tagged 37 percent of the region’s dengue cases to Bukidnon with 2,428; Cagayan de Oro, 1,157 (18%); Misamis Oriental, 1,059 (16%); Lanao del Norte, 744; Misamis Occidental, 519; Iligan, 508; and Camiguin, 49.
All these case-counts were higher than their respective figures, for the same period last year, with Lanao del Norte posting the highest 481-percent increase, followed by Bukidnon 336 percent, and Misamis Oriental 143 percent.
DOH-10 Resdru Cluster, which is headed by Dr. Stephanie Grace S. Zamora, observed clustering of cases in Cagayan de Oro, 186; Iligan, 87; Valencia, 85; Malaybalay, 51; Bukidnon’s Manolo Fortich, 36; Oroquieta, 32; Gingoog, 24; Ozamiz, 22; Lanao del Norte’s Lala and Sultan Naga Dimporo with 16 each; and Camiguin’s Mambajao, 15.
Average age of all dengue patients was 10 years old, with 10 years old and below accounting for 2,515 cases, but there were 129 senior citizens (60 years and above) who also caught the virus.
The same DOH-10 Resdru report indicate that the case count of dengue has reached the alert threshold as early as the 13th morbidity week, April 10 to 16, this year, and further breached the epidemic threshold on the 16th week which covers the May 1 to 7 period, but this information was not released to the public.
Detections
Detection of dengue was steady—beyond alert and epidemic lines – from then on until the 24th morbidity week, June 19 to 25.
Starting the 28th morbidity week, July 10 to 16, the case count was below the alert and epidemic thresholds until the 31st week, July 30 to August 6 – the morbidity week when dengue cases were recorded highest, historically, in Northern Mindanao exceeding the 600 cases.
Alert and epidemic thresholds indicate the level of incidence above which a disease requires an urgent response, depending on determinants of transmission and the degree to which it is locally endemic.
On July 16, this year, DOH-10 entomologist Gemma G. Uy disclosed in a forum at SM City mall that they have recorded 3,844 dengue cases, as of the 22nd morbidity week (June 5 to 11).
Uy reported 14 deaths by dengue; four in Cagayan de Oro, three each in Bukidnon and Misamis Oriental, and two each in Iligan and Misamis Occidental – all from ages one to 10 years old.
At that time, she said there was a 134-percent increase over the same period of last year when there were 1,641 cases of dengue, but pointed out there could be under-reporting because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Preventions
Still, the DOH-10 is urging all to be involved in the “search-and-destroy” campaign so that there would be no need for “seek early consultation” aside from “self-protection” and “say yes to fogging.”
Everything that can store water, which may serve as breeding ground of Aedes mosquitoes, must be turned upside down, as often as possible.
Uy said every female mosquito needs blood to fertilize its eggs, laying about 100 each time, and four times in its 30-day lifespan.
In seven days, the eggs would turn into larvae, pupa, and eventually fly as adult mosquitoes.
Usually, these dengue virus-carrying and low-lying insects prick and suck blood from human skin strike two hours after sunrise and again two hours before sunset.
Dengue virus-infected persons experience flu-like symptoms – fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, rash, joint pain, muscle pain, and eye pain – which, if not treated immediately, may worsen to haemorrhagic fever, a life-threatening condition.
###