DENGUE cases in Digos City have reached an alarming level as the city government announced an alert threshold as more than 700 dengue cases and three deaths were reported as of August 7, 2024.
In its report, the city has recorded a total of 796 cases of dengue wherein Zone 3 logged the highest number with 96, followed by Barangay Aplaya with 79 cases, Barangay Tres De Mayo with 78, Barangay San Miguel with 69, Barangay Zone 1 with 63, and Barangay Kapatagan with 61.
The city has implemented various measures to combat dengue, including dengue vector surveillance per barangay, school operation kulob, vector surveillance, Oplan Kulob, and fogging.
“Digoseños, we must help each other and participate in the City Government’s program combating Dengue,” the local government unit (LGU) of Digos wrote in their Facebook post on August 8, 2024.
Dengue is described by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a viral infection transmitted from mosquitoes to people. Common symptoms include high fever, headache, body aches, nausea, and rash. Dengue is prevalent in tropical and subtropical regions such as the Philippines.
According to the national data from the Department of Health (DOH), the number of dengue cases this year is higher compared to last year. From January 1 to May 4, 2024, there have been 59,267 reported cases. However, the department noted that deaths have decreased compared to last year, with 164 reported deaths this year compared to 171 in the previous year.
The Mindanao regions have reported the highest number of dengue cases, with Soccsksargen having 6,994 cases, the Davao Region with 6,623 cases, and Northern Mindanao with 6,078 cases. The Davao Region recorded 29 dengue-related deaths, while Northern Mindanao logged 27.
Earlier, the DOH indicated that it is on high alert for a potential surge in dengue cases due to the onset of the rainy season, which is expected to be intensified by La Niña. RGP with reports from HDT