BACOLOD City — Two more children died of dengue in Bacolod City in August, bringing the city’s dengue-related death toll to three this year despite a 40.6-percent decline in cases compared with the same period in 2025.
City Health Office (CHO) Assistant Department Head Dr. Grace Tan said the latest fatalities were a four-year-old girl from Barangay Mansilingan and a five-year-old girl from Barangay Granada.
The four-year-old girl was admitted to the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital (CLMMRH) on August 20 and died the following day after developing severe dengue and multi-organ dysfunction. Cardiogenic shock was also cited as a significant condition contributing to her death.
The five-year-old girl from Barangay Granada was admitted to CLMMRH with dengue fever with warning signs and died on August 19.
Her immediate cause of death was acute respiratory failure, with pulmonary hemorrhage as the antecedent cause and severe dengue as the underlying cause.
Both fatalities were reported to the CHO on August 21.
The city’s first dengue-related death this year was an eight-year-old girl from Barangay Villamonte.
As of Morbidity Week 33, covering January to August 22, the CHO recorded 448 dengue cases and three deaths. This was down from the 754 cases and five deaths recorded during the same period last year.
Despite the decline, Tan warned residents against becoming complacent, stressing that dengue remains a serious public health concern.
Among Bacolod’s 61 barangays, Mansilingan recorded the highest number of dengue cases with 54, followed by Handumanan with 45, Estefania with 40, Singcang-Airport with 30, Banago with 29, Alijis with 28, Villamonte and Granada with 24 each, and Tangub with 22.
Tan said dengue can affect people of all ages and genders and is transmitted through the bite of infected female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.
She urged residents to seek early medical consultation when experiencing fever or flu-like symptoms and to remain alert for warning signs of severe dengue.
Tan also reminded the public to eliminate mosquito breeding sites and observe dengue prevention measures, including the Department of Health’s 4S strategy: search and destroy breeding places, use self-protection measures, seek early consultation, and support fogging and spraying when indicated.
She likewise encouraged residents to participate in the city’s daily 4 o’clock habit, a community-wide cleanup activity aimed at removing potential mosquito breeding grounds.
The CHO reminded residents that common dengue symptoms include sudden high fever lasting two to seven days, severe headache, muscle and joint pain, pain behind the eyes, weakness and skin rashes.
Warning signs requiring immediate medical attention include nosebleeding as fever subsides, persistent abdominal pain, repeated vomiting, dark-colored stools and difficulty breathing./PN
