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Saturday, February 07, 2004
Dengue, not bird-flu, alarms doctors in CAR
DEPARTMENT of Health (DOH) officials in the Cordillera Administrative Region (DAR) reported on Wednesday that dengue cases in the region increased by as much as 500 percent last year even as they acknowledged they are more concerned about the disease more than the bird-flu virus.
Records released by the Department of Health-Cordillera Administrative Region (DOH-CAR) revealed that some 1,097 persons from the provinces of Abra, Apayao, Benguet, Kalinga, Ifugao, Mt.Province and Baguio were admitted for dengue in 2003 compared to 215 admissions in 2002.
DOH-CAR records, however, showed that only person died of dengue last year.
Most of the dengue cases were reported in the remote town of Paracelis in Mt.Province, where health officials earlier declared a dengue outbreak.
More than 150 Paracelis resident were earlier admitted at the Bontoc General Hospital but no death was reported.
Severe headache, joint pains and skin rashes characterize the disease.
To prevent a possible increase in dengue cases this year, DOH-CAR officials said that they will strictly coordinated with the different line agencies in the agency’s information campaign on how to prevent the occurrence of dengue.
Dr. Teresita Bonoan, DOH-CAR director, said she has also alerted all provincial health offices in the region to always emphasize the importance of massive clean-up drive in barangays all over the region.
Massive fogging has been identified as a last resort to prevent the occurrence of dengue.
Meanwhile, DoH-CAR records showed that typhoid fever admissions also increased by 63 percent last year compared to 2002. More than 2,000 persons typhoid fever patients were admitted in 2003 compared to 1, 783 in 2002.
(February 6, 2004 issue)
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