DEATHS due to dengue in Davao Region recorded a 95 percent increase from January to December 2019 with 43 cases as compared to the preceding year with only 22.
Department of Health (DOH) Davao Regional Dengue Control and Prevention Program manager Antonietta Ebol said in a press conference on Monday, March 9, that Davao City posted the most number of fatalities due to the mosquito-borne disease.
Davao City registered the most number of fatalities with 25, followed by Davao del Norte with seven, Davao del Sur with four, Davao Oriental with three, while Davao de Oro and Davao Occidental both registered two deaths.
DOH-Davao, meanwhile, recorded a total of 8,125 cases in the region. Davao City topped the list with 4,257, Davao de Oro (1,362), Davao del Norte (1,128), Davao Oriental (985), Davao del Sur (321), and Davao Occidental (72).
In 2018, the health department recorded a total of 6,497. The 2019 data is higher by 26 percent compared to 2018 data.
In Davao City, DOH-Davao noted four districts with most cases of dengue.
These are in Buhangin with 626 cases, Talomo North with 510 cases, Talomo Central with 463 cases, and Agdao with 441 cases.
The health official said the suspected cases are persons with fever of two to seven days and manifested two of the symptoms like headache, body malaise (bodily weakness or discomfort), myalgia (muscle pain), arthralgia (joint pain), retro-orbital pain (pain behind or in the eye), anorexia (loss of appetite), vomiting, diarrhea, flushed skin, and rash.
Ebol added the recorded dengue cases were mostly senior high-school level students. This led them to conduct series of orientation on the usage of insecticide-treated curtains in targeted hotspots particularly national high schools.
“Sa susunod na week, pupunta rin po kami sa mga probinsya. Yung kinokonsider at tina-target for this project are those national high schools located in the hotspot municipalities in the province of Davao de Oro, Davao (del) Sur, (Davao) Occidental, Davao Oriental and Davao del Norte,” she added.
(In the following week, we will go to the provinces. This project considers and targets national high schools located in the hotspot municipalities in the provinces of Davao de Oro, Davao del Sur, Occidental, Davao Oriental and Davao del Norte.)
DOH continuously advocates the “4 O’clock Habit” to prevent dengue-carrying mosquitoes to thrive and eradicate mosquito-breeding places and reminded the public to practice the 4S.
The 4S stands for searching and destroying mosquito breeding places; securing self-protection measures, such as wearing long pants and long-sleeved shirts and daily use of mosquito repellents; seeking early consultation; and support fogging and spraying in hotspot areas.