Dengue-carrying mosquito Aedes aegypti.” (PNA file photo)
COTABATO CITY – The Soccsksargen Region recorded 32 deaths due to dengue and listed 9,042 cases from Jan. 1 to June 15, an official of the regional Department of Health (DOH-12) office said Wednesday.
Roxfrestopher Boholst, DOH-12 mosquito-borne disease coordinator, said the latest dengue figure showed an increase of 44 percent compared to the same period last year when there were only 6,275 cases.
“North Cotabato has the highest number of dengue deaths, with 15, followed by South Cotabato with seven, Sultan Kudarat with five, Gen. Santos City with four, and one in Sarangani province,” he said in a statement.
North Cotabato also recorded the highest number of cases from Jan. 1 to June 15, with 3,541, followed by South Cotabato (1,814), Sultan Kudarat (1,338), Sarangani (1,303), and General Santos City (1,046).
“Notably, the number of dengue cases in Gen. Santos City has decreased by 29 percent compared to the same period last year. However, in North Cotabato, we have observed a 126 percent increase in dengue cases during the same period in 2023,” Boholst said.
He said the cyclical pattern of dengue cases in numbers every three years no longer applies, “as we cannot predict anymore when the cases rise or fall.”
To help control the increasing number, Boholst urged everyone to step up clean-up activities at home or in the community.
He said one of the best prevention steps in the fight against dengue is to destroy dengue-carrying mosquitoes’ breeding grounds.
Boholst also urged the public to beat dengue through the 4S strategy: search and destroy; seek early consultation; self-protection measures; and say yes to fogging during outbreaks.
Meanwhile, in this city, 11 dengue patients have died from Jan. 1 to June 23 out of 504 cases that were referred to the Cotabato Regional and Medical Center (CRMC)
Currently, 10 dengue patients are still admitted at the CRMC, including one adult and nine toddlers. (PNA)
