HEALTH officials reported three deaths caused by dengue in Aklan since its outbreak, but assured that case are now declining.
Dr. Maria Magpusao, chief of the Technical Services Division of the Provincial Health Office said based on their records, the month of August had the highest number of dengue cases with 198 while from September 1 to 22, there were 145 cases. In June, there were 23 cases of dengue in the province, while July registered 125 cases.
Magpusao said the figures have not gone beyond outbreak level compared with the past years’ record of the province, however, she advised that patients suspected of having dengue must seek medical attention right away.
“If laboratory findings reveal that the patient’s platelets have gone down, the patient must be admitted in a hospital. If after six hours of supportive management, the platelets keep on going down, the patient should be transported to Iloilo City for plasma transfusion,” Dr. Magpusao said.
Magpusao said a dengue patient could not be transfused with whole blood because he might experience a volume overload. Some patients who need plasma transfusions needed to be brought to Iloilo City because Aklan has no plasma freezer, nor has it the machine to separate plasma from other blood components.
Magpusao said patients who died of dengue in Aklan include a 10-year-old boy child Altavas, a 17-year-old student from Numancia and a baby from Malay. When inspected by provincial health officials, Magpusao said all areas where there were dengue deaths had the presence of the dengue mosquito vector, aedes aegypti. The households also stored water in uncovered containers which was used as breeding areas by the deadly mosquitoes.
“Mosquitoes also breed in plants like bromeliads. We already advised households and schools to get rid of their bromeliads, because the pineapple-like plant stores rainwater in its center, which is used as breeding ground of mosquitoes,” Magpusao revealed.
Magpusao revealed that during her team’s visits to barangays, they discovered that whole bamboos used as post for fences of houses, when filled with rain water, are also used as breeding grounds of dengue mosquitoes. She advised house owners to fill the hollowed posts with soil or sand so mosquitoes could not breed there.
The Department of health (DOH) has issued a nationwide dengue fever alert and has asked hospitals to designate fast lanes for dengue patients. According to a DOH report, Region 6, where Aklan belongs, has the most number of dengue victims, followed by Region 7 and NCR. (PIA)
