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Thursday, June 29, 2006
Dengue fever cases down 32% in Cebu
An all-year-round campaign led by the Department of Health (DOH) has paid off against dengue fever, with cases down 32 percent this year compared to the same period in 2005.
However, the Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (Resu) 7 has also reported 16 deaths from Jan. 1 to June 16 this year.
More than one-third of the fatalities were between the ages of six and 10 years old.
Based on admissions in the different government hospitals in Cebu, the Resu recorded 648 dengue fever cases as of mid-June, compared to over a thousand for the same period last year.
Dengue fever has hit children as young as four months to 68-year-old senior citizens. The cities of Cebu, Talisay and Lapu-Lapu recorded the highest number of cases in the province, while Minglanilla, with 47, had the highest number among the towns.
DOH 7 usually designates June as Dengue Awareness Month, because of the onset of the rainy season. June to August are considered the most problematic, with persistent rains during these months providing numerous breeding areas for the mosquito that carries the virus.
Detection
In Cebu City, the number of dengue fever cases so far this year has dropped, but the number of deaths remains high, with 10 deaths reported from January to June 26 this year.
The most recent fatality was a four-year-old boy, the son of a carpenter and a vendor from Barangay Oprra, who died of dengue hemorrhagic fever last June 21.
Assistant City Epidemiologist Durinda Macasocol said the number of dengue cases from Jan. 1 to June 26 decreased compared to the same period last year, owing perhaps to the intensified campaign for dengue fever prevention.
She said, though, that parents still have to understand the importance of early consultation and detection to prevent complications or, worse, death.
At least 266 dengue cases have been reported so far this year in Cebu City, or 37.6 percent fewer than the 426 cases recorded in the same period last year. There were 11 deaths reported in the first half of 2005.
Fogging
“We have been consistent in holding a house-to-house information drive. That’s perhaps the reason the number of cases decreased, but the parents still have to be careful and alert to consult the doctor once any symptom sets in,” Macasocol said in a phone interview.
It is the first time in recent years that death due to dengue was recorded in Barangay Oprra, a mountain barangay in the north district.
According to the records of the City Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit of the City Health Department, the fatalities this year were between two and eight years old.
To prevent the spread of the dengue virus in the affected communities, the City Health Department has conducted fogging activities in the nine barangays where the deaths were recorded.
The barangays include Oprra with two deaths, Banawa, Cogon Pardo, Labangon, Pardo, Pasil, Sapangdaku, Sawang Calero and Tinago.
With the onslaught of rains, Macasocol said they will continue to hold the dengue prevention campaign and health education in the barangay health centers, with more emphasis on early consultation and detection this time.
A person with dengue, the virus carried by the aedis egypti mosquito, suffers from high fever, body weakness, abdominal pain, vomiting and in worse cases, nose bleeding.
Macasocol reminded the public to eliminate possible breeding sites of the dengue-carrying mosquitoes, including stagnant water in bottles, water containers, gutters and tires.
Stay clean
Although Talisay placed second in the list of places with the highest number of dengue cases, Dr. Lino Alanzado is optimistic the city will still come out with the least number of cases after the third quarter.
The Talisay City health officer believes the early rise in the number of cases was due to the delay in the mobilization of dengue brigades in schools and the “clean and green” groups composed of barangay health workers.
However, with cleanliness campaigns and the City’s purchase of a mist blower, which is expected to kill adult mosquitoes and their larva, the number of cases will go down, he assured.
As of yesterday, the barangay heads of Linao, Bulacao and Lagtang asked for the City to spray insecticide in their communities.
The Mandaue City Health Office will be “singing the same tune” as it reinforces its campaign for cleanliness, as a dengue fever prevention tactic.
City Health Officer Oscar Quirante said yesterday he is expecting a “peak” in the incidence of dengue fever cases, considering the heavy rains so far this year.
Mandaue City’s health personnel have undergone refresher courses in the campaign. Last year, no fogging was done, but Mandaue’s dengue fever cases were still low, a fact that Quirante attributes to a campaign focused on prevention and cleanliness.
Mandaue City ranked as high as second in Region 7 in terms of dengue fever cases three years ago. It dropped to third, then fourth place last year. (JGA/LCR/CYR/AGC)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (June 29, 2006 issue)
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