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Wednesday, August 17, 2005
Red Cross says dengue depleting blood supply
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY -- Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC) Blood Center 10 officials said they were running out of blood supply due to the rising number of dengue cases in Misamis Oriental.
PNRC doctor-in-charge Myra Yee said there is an increase in the number of patients requiring blood and most of them suffer from dengue.
The Department of Health (DOH) main office in Manila declared a nationwide dengue alert to bolster efforts to fight the mosquito-borne virus following a spike in new cases, an official said Tuesday.
Dr. Eric Tayag, head of the department's National Epidemiology Center, said 14,142 cases of dengue fever were reported from January 1 to August 11--a 23 percent rise from the same period last year.
"We anticipate more cases until October, when cases usually begin to decline," Tayag told The Associated Press. "We issued a nationwide dengue alert so local governments can prepare if they have not yet prepared."
Dr. Yee said the PNRC office need more blood donations to meet the growing demand.
Patients going to the PNRC are usually those who need blood platelets, which are sourced from blood and processed at the blood bank. Yee said they fear they may experience a shortage in blood platelets as a result of the growing number of dengue cases.
'Dengue cases'
DOH records said 400 to 500 cases have been recorded in 100 barangays nationwide. Around 43 percent or 6,155 cases involved children aged one to nine years old with the oldest at 87 years old.
Around 189 persons have died of dengue. In Region 10, the DOH office said there are 2,309 cases from January to August 11 with 57 deaths.
Misamis Oriental Province leads the number of dengue cases with 463 and 21 deaths. Cagayan de Oro City has the most number of dengue cases with 864 and 12 deaths in Misamis Oriental.
The DOH regional office said they are calling on the public to help rid of dengue by keeping surroundings clean.
Yee, meanwhile, said they are appealing to their donors and organized sectors to donate blood in order to fill in the demand for blood platelets in Region 10.
City Health Officer Jerie Calingasan, for his part, said they are not discouraging the use of the so-called "tawa-tawa" herbs used by city residents and rural folk in treating dengue-infected patients.
In a radio interview, Calingasan said they have received reports about how some dengue-afflicted patients have recovered by drinking a liquid concoction made from "tawa-tawa" herbs that are sourced from grassy areas.
"We are not discouraging city residents from using this but until we receive medical confirmation we won't endorse this," he said.
Clean campaign
Calingasan also said they are conducting a "search and destroy" cleanliness campaign aimed at ridding the city of areas that can be used as breeding grounds for dengue carrying mosquitoes. The cleanliness campaign runs from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Tayag said in Manila that the dengue alert was declared after more than 100 villages were found to have a "cluster of cases"--more than two dengue-stricken patients in each of the last four weeks.
Tayag said the outbreak has been confined to three areas: Zamboanga City in the south, a village in Manila's suburban Quezon City, and a town in northern Nueva Ecija province.
Under a nationwide alert, local governments are asked to intensify educational campaigns about dengue fever.
These include the implementation of an organized mosquito-control system, ensure prompt diagnosis and treatment in hospitals, have blood supplies on standby and increase surveillance of cases.
Tayag said the elimination of items that can contain stagnant water such as empty oil drums, flower pots and old tires--all possible breeding sites for mosquitoes--should be the first line of defense.
The tropical Philippines usually sees a rise in dengue cases during the rainy season, which begins in June and ends around October. (Sun.Star Superbalita/Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro/Sunnex)
(August 17, 2005 issue)
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