Dengue cases up

CASES of dengue in Negros Oriental increased by 129.6 percent in 2012 compared to 2011 of the same period, a top official of the
Department of Health (DOH) Dumaguete City said.

Dr. Socrates Villamor, chief of the Provincial Epidemiology Surveillance Unit (Pesu) of the DOH, said as of July 28, a total of 581 cases were admitted at the three major hospitals in Dumaguete City with three deaths.

The deaths came from barangays Sibulan, Bacong, and Dumaguete City proper.

Villamor said that from January 1 to July 28 last year, a total of 253 dengue cases were recorded. Victims were mostly children ages six to ten, he said.

Villamor said dengue cases this year have reached to an alarming status.

However, he quickly said there is still no declaration of an outbreak as of this posting Monday.

But the DOH official expected dengue cases to still go up as the rainy season continues.

In this connection, Villamor renewed his advice to the residents to exercise the four o’clock habit to lessen dengue cases.

He said even the government is doing everything to prevent dengue viruses. The most effective prevention is by cleaning the surroundings.

Villamor reminded residents to properly cover earthenware, metal drums, and concrete cisterns to hamper possible mosquito breeding places.

He also advised the disposal of natural habitats of mosquitoes such as tree holes, leaves that gather to form “cups” and catch water, proper solid waste disposal and improved water storage.

Villamor also reminded village officials to monitor and conduct active surveillance of the natural mosquito population and to determine program effectiveness.