ILOILO – This province recorded its first death from dengue this year.
An 18-year-old male from the municipality of Concepcion died on June 1, according to the Iloilo Provincial Health Office (IPHO).
Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral infection that causes a severe flu-like illness that can sometimes be fatal.
As of June 10, Concepcion had 13 dengue cases with one death, higher than the eight cases with zero deaths in the same period in 2022.
So far since the beginning of this year, the province recorded 571 dengue cases with one death — seven percent higher compared to the 535 cases with six deaths recorded from January to June 10 last year.
The towns with the highest dengue cases are as follows: Barotac Nuevo (44), Estancia (35), Ajuy (27), Barotac Viejo (23), Calinog (22), Oton (22), Carles (21), Banate (21), Alimodian (21), and Dumangas (19).
Here are the dengue cases of the remaining localities: Balasan (18), San Dionisio (18), Pavia (18), Passi City (17), Pototan (17), Cabatuan (17), Sara (16), Lemery (14), Miag-ao (13), Concepcion (13 with one death), Dingle (12), Guimbal (11), Tigbauan (11), Batad (10), Igbaras (10), Dueñas (eight), Santa Barbara (eight), Leganes (eight), Anilao (eight), Janiuay (eight), Leon (eight), San Enrique (seven), San Miguel (seven), Zarraga (six), Maasin (five), Badiangan (five), Tubungan (four), Bingawan (four), New Lucena (two), San Rafael (two), and Lambunao (one).
The only municipality with no dengue cases is Mina.
Per age group, the number of cases are:
* less than one year old – 35 cases
* one to 10 years old – 308 cases
* 11 to 20 years old – 119 cases
* 21 to 30 years old – 52 cases
* 31 to 40 years old – 18 cases
* 41 years old and above – 39 cases
With the rising cases and the rainy season coming in, IPHO head Dr. Maria Socorro Colmenares-Quiñon again urged the public to practice the 4S strategy to prevent the spread of dengue: search and destroy mosquito breeding sites; take self-protection measures like wearing trousers and long-sleeved shirts and daily use of mosquito repellent; seek early treatment; and support fogging/spraying only in hotspot areas where an increase in cases is registered for two consecutive weeks to prevent an impending outbreak.
“We should continue to do our part by practicing our 4S strategy, especially nga rainy season na, damo sang puede maitlogan ang lamok. So, pangitaon kag pakulbon gid naton ang breeding places nila,” Quiñon said.
Dengue carriers are day-biting mosquitoes (Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti) that live and breed in clean, 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 the vomit, fatigue, and restlessness./PN
