A TOTAL of 15 deaths due to dengue, a mosquito-borne disease, were reported by the Department of Health (DOH)-Davao from January 1 to July 17, 2019, with more than 3,000 cases monitored this year.
DOH Regional Director Annabelle Yumang said during a media forum Wednesday, July 17, at DOH-Davao conference room that six of the deaths were from Davao City, four from Island Garden City of Samal (Igacos), one in Don Marcelino, one in Kiblawan, one in Lupon, one in New Bataan, and one in Tagum City.
This data is higher compared to last year's record in the same period, with nine fatalities.
For the reported dengue cases in Davao Region from January 1 to July 15, a total of 3,495 have been reported, which is almost twice higher compared to the 1,970 recorded in the same period in 2018.
Davao City registered the highest number of dengue cases at 1,630, followed by Compostela Valley with 701 cases and Davao Oriental with 562 cases.
Davao del Norte recorded 464 cases, Davao del Sur with 114, and Davao Occidental with 24.
DOH, in a statement, said dengue is transmitted through a bite of dengue-infected Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes.
"These mosquitoes can lay eggs in any space or container that holds clear and stagnant water like a bottle cap, dish dryer, plant axil, gutter, trash can, old rubber tire, etc. They usually bite between two hours after sunrise and two hours before sunset and can be found inside and outside the house," the DOH said.
Yumang said historical data would show that dengue cases would peak every three to four years.
"We need to stop dengue in Davao region" before it reaches the epidemic threshold, she said.
Earlier, the DOH said Davao is among the regions being monitored after it exceeded the alert threshold or the number of dengue cases with a potential outbreak. So far, in the Davao, only the local government unit of Igacos has already declared dengue outbreak due to the increasing number of dengue cases.
Yumang confirmed that there has been overcrowding in the Southern Philippine Medical Center (SPMC) due to the admission of individuals with dengue symptoms.
The local government of Igacos declared a state of calamity Friday, July 12, 2019 due to dengue fever outbreak.
According to Igacos City Health Office (CHO)-Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit, there have been 249 dengue cases recorded cases from January to June this year.
Despite increasing dengue cases in Davao City, the City Health Office (CHO) sees no cause to declare a "dengue outbreak" in the city.
According to CHO, there have been a total of 1,121 recorded dengue cases from January to June 30 this year. It increased almost twice from last year's 645 cases in the same period.
DOH-Davao interventions
DOH-Davao Regional Dengue Control and Prevention Program Manager Engineer Antonietta Ebol said Wednesday, July 17, that even before Davao exceeds the alert threshold, there have been efforts that they took to contain dengue.
Last February, Ebol said they already coordinated with their partners in the local government units (LGU) from provincial, municipality to barangay.
Likewise, the anti-dengue task force has been activated to spearhead the implementation of dengue control and prevention program. Weekly, they conducted meetings and monitoring of cases to check which area has an increase cases of dengue and then submit it to the respective LGUs for proper intervention.
Ebol, meanwhile, urged the public to seek early consultation especially if severe headache, pain behind eyes, severe joint and muscle pain, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, and skin rashes, have been observed before it has gotten worse. She also advised the public to go to their respective health centers and ask for dengue NS1 to detect dengue for prevention.
They had already partnered with other government agencies in addressing this problem like the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Department of Education (DepEd).
To effectively counter dengue, Yumang emphasized the 4S strategy -- Search and destroy mosquito breeding places, Self-protective like wearing long sleeves and use of insect repellent, Seek early consultation on the first signs and symptoms of the disease, and Say yes to fogging if there is an impending outbreak.
National dengue alert
The number of dengue deaths recorded in the country has increased from 89 to 152, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said Wednesday.
The NDRRMC said a total of 25,772 cases of dengue have been recorded in Western, Central and Eastern Visayas, as well as in Soccsksargen from January 1 to July 13.
It said based on data from the four regions, the province with the highest number of dengue cases is Cebu with 5,935, followed by Iloilo with 5,327, Negros Occidental with 3,266, Capiz with 2,590 and Aklan with 2,095.
Cebu also topped the list of provinces with the most number of deaths due to dengue, with 36 deaths reported, followed by Negros Occidental with 23 and Iloilo with 20.
NDRRMC said the DOH has already coordinated with the agency for the activation of the health cluster.
The health office earlier declared a national dengue alert and issued an advisory on dengue preparedness and outbreak response due to the surge of dengue cases in the country.
DOH Secretary Fransisco Duque said there was an increase of 85 percent in the number of dengue cases from January 1 to June 29, as compared to the same period last year.
The DOH identified Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, and Palawan), Western Visayas, Central Visayas and Northern Mindanao with dengue alerts exceeding the epidemic threshold.
Ilocos region, Cagayan Valley, Calabarzon, Bicol, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Davao, Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, and the Cordillera Administrative Region have been identified as regions that have exceeded the alert threshold. (With reports from SunStar Philippines)