Monday, January 22, 2007 Dengue toll claims 4 By Ben Serrano Caraga Correspondent
BAYUGAN, Agusan del Sur -- At least four persons were killed and 12 others, mostly minors, are under treatment in what health authorities here claimed as a dengue outbreak that has persisted in this town since last month.
At least 13 others are under treatment and two more cases of typhoid fever hit barangays Buenavista and Poblacion, Bayugan, Agusan del Sur.
The numbers don't include 12 cases of gastroenteritis with mild dehydration and pneumonia that also affected the areas due to continuous rains in past four weeks now.
Most of the victims are children, now under the care of their parents at home with round the clock monitoring of the Municipal Health Officials, the official health bulletin said.
Bayugan Mayor Magdalena Asis, chairperson of the Municipal Disaster Coordinating Council, and Municipal Nurse Helen Saligan said they will be submitting on Monday an official list and breakdown in age grouping.
This includes the identities of the victims, whom they said, are mostly minors aged one to four years old.
Fumigation to areas affected, referral systems to hospitals and health centers, information and dissemination campaign, and environmental sanitation for affected villages had already been conducted by health authorities here.
Asis said three weeks of continuous rains have afflicted a number of schoolchildren at a local school in Barangay Poblacion with dengue fever.
Two have been killed due to dengue with 13 cases last month while two others mostly one year old were killed this January 2007 and feared to rise if no immediate remedies are installed, Saligan said.
Twelve cases of gastroenteritis with mild dehydration, pneumonia and thirteen other alarming diarrhea cases were reported from Barangay Buenavista of this town because of flooding that may have contaminated water wells, the two officials in their official report said.
Two cases of typhoid were meanwhile reported in Barangay Poblacion.
Government officials have already asked support from the Provincial Government to contain the diseases affecting mostly poor people in the area.
A "bandillo system" is being undertaken among houses and puroks to inform residents about the possible spread of the diseases in affected areas by barangay and municipal officials.
No words yet were heard from the Department of Health Caraga Regional Office about these ailments in Bayugan, Agusan del Sur as of Sunday.
