4S VS. DENGUE. The public is urged to be aware on how to protect themselves and their families from the risks of mosquito bite. The declaration of the national dengue alert is to remind the public to destroy the breeding places of dengue-carrying mosquitoes. (Courtesy of DOH FB page)
BAGUIO CITY-- The dengue cases here and Kalinga province have dropped as the Department of Health in the Cordillera Administrative Region (DOH-CAR) has intensified its dengue prevention drive, an official said Tuesday.
“The latest is wala ang CAR sa alert level (CAR is not in the dengue alert level). But we are not waiting for this to happen, We are doing intensified surveillance and health promotion, 4S Kontra Dengue advocacy, and clinical case management of dengue reiteration; [we have] dengue fast lanes,” DOH-CAR officer-in-charge Dr. Amelita Pangilinan said in a text message.
On Monday's meeting of the Cordillera Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council, DOH-CAR entomologist Alexander Baday reported that from January 1 to July 13, Baguio has recorded downtrend in the incidence of dengue which they attributed to the residents’ adhering to the “search and destroy” of possible mosquito breeding sites.
DOH-CAR data how that during the period, there are 210 cases with one death recorded in the city, or a 15-percent decrease compared to the same period in 2018 where 246 cases were reported.
It also noted that Kalinga province also recorded a 43-percent decrease in cases with 289 dengue cases from January 1 to July 13 compared to the 509 cases in the same period last year.
Baday said the DOH noted an increase in dengue cases in Ifugao, Mountain Province, Apayao, Benguet, and Abra.
Apayao has 616 cases compared to the 329 cases last year which is an 87 percent increase while Benguet has 565 cases, with three deaths, compared to the 462 in 2018 or 22 percent increase.
On the other hand, Abra has 517 cases or a 26 percent increase compared to the 409 cases in 2019. Ifugao recorded 354 cases this year compared to the 105 cases in 2019 which is a 237 percent increase while Mountain province has 207 cases compared to the 85 in 2018 or a 144 percent increase in dengue incidents.
Earlier, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III issued a national dengue alert to make the public aware of the mosquito-borne virus and prevent the further spread of dengue.
The DOH has also advised the public to watch out for dengue symptoms and immediately consult a doctor.
The symptoms include joint muscle pain and pain behind the eyes, weakness, skin rashes, nose bleeding when fever starts to subside, abdominal pain, vomiting of coffee-colored matter, and dark-colored stool. (PNA)
