BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL G. BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – The Provincial Health Office (PHO) of Negros Occidental is now ringing alarm bells. Dengue cases in the province had reached the alert level threshold.
The number of cases have risen to 511, the Dengue Fever Surveillance Report from Jan. 1 to May 14 showed.
The increase is 193.68 percent or 338 cases more compared to the same period in 2021 when cases were only at 174, said Dr. Ernell Tumimbang, PHO head.
The town of Hinigaran currently has the highest number of dengue cases at 46, while Victorias City has the lowest percentage of dengue cases at 86.67 percent.
Fatalities in the province remain at five since January.
“This is just the first quarter of the year. We still have a long way to go,” Tumimbang warned Negrenses.
Despite the increase in dengue cases, Tumimbang said they are not yet recommending fogging operations.
Fogging will kill only the adult mosquitoes, not their larvae, he explained.
Tumimbang said instead of fogging, they recommend the use of larvicides to more effectively kill mosquito larvae.
However, Tumimbang pointed out, it is still far better to just get rid of stagnant water as it would also eliminate possible places for adult mosquitoes to lay their eggs.
“Amo ‘ni nga stage alarming na, indi ta na ‘ni dapat pagpadugayon,” Tumimbang said.
The provincial government already reactivated its anti-dengue task force to deal with the rising cases.
Tumimbang said they will sit down with the Provincial Health Board and pass resolutions that would support the PHO’s actions against dengue.
Dengue causes a severe flu-like illness that could sometimes be fatal. Its carriers are day-biting mosquitoes that breed in clear, stagnant water.
According to the World Health Organization, individuals should suspect dengue when a high fever (40 degrees centigrade) is accompanied by two of the following symptoms: severe headache, pain behind the eyes, nausea / vomiting, swollen glands, muscle and joint pains, and rashes.
For severe dengue, the warning signs to look out for are: severe abdominal pain, persistent vomiting, rapid breathing, bleeding gums, blood in vomit, fatigue, and restlessness./PN
