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Saturday, September 18, 2004
Dengue claims 4
By Hermie B. Tresquio
DENGUE claimed four lives from January to August this year, records at the Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO) disclosed.
IPHO hospital surveillance systems staff Noel Ferrero said for the same period the number of dengue cases reported throughout the province has reached 362.
Tanjay City reported 41 cases and the death of an 11-year old boy. Dumaguete City has 30 cases and one death of an eight-year old girl in Barangay Taclobo.
The municipality of Zamboanguita reported 26 cases majority in Poblacion and Barangay Mayabon, Sibulan nine cases and six cases in Bais City.
In Pamplona, dengue claimed a seven-year old girl and another seven-year old boy in Guihulngan.
Ferrero said dengue experts expect the disease to peak between August and September and that unless the public heeded health officials' call for preventive measures it could rise again in October based on its prevalence in the past years.
On the other hand, despite this year's being dubbed as the cyclical dengue epidemic period, IPHO is optimistic the number of cases will not be as high as the outbreak in 1998 when the number of cases soared to 1,991.
The health surveillance coordinator said the public is now aware about the disease and how to prevent it.
In 2000, two years after the outbreak, the number of cases went down to only 50.
In 2001, the incidence rate zoomed up to 981 but went down to 542 cases in 2002 although the disease had claimed five victims, three in Dumaguete, one in Bacong and one in Valencia.
Last year, the figure was 587 but no death was reported.
(September 16, 2004 issue)
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