ILOILO – A 19-year-old lass from Barangay Pantalan Nabaye, Ajuy, Iloilo died of suspected dengue.
The teenager expired at the Western Visayas Medical Center (WVMC) in Mandurriao, Iloilo City on June 12, according to Dr. Patricia Grace Trabado, provincial health officer.
From what the Provincial Health Office (PHO) gathered, the girl was initially diagnosed with urinary tract infection on June 7 a day after having herself checked at the rural health unit of the municipality for fever.
The girl had herself confined at the Sara District Hospital in Sara town on June 8 when her condition showed no signs of improvement, information from the Municipal Health Office of Ajuy showed.
A person infected with the dengue virus develops severe flu-like symptoms such as severe headache, pain behind the eyes, nausea, vomiting, swollen glands, muscle and joint pains, and rash.
The teenager stayed at the Sara District Hospital for two days and on June 10 was transferred to the WVMC, said Trabado.
“Waay ko pa makita ang death certificate but then, suspect sia for dengue,” she said.
The girl was included in the Municipal Health Office of Ajuy’s list of 16 suspected dengue cases from May to June.
Of these suspected cases, nine were in Barangay Bato Biasong and five (including the 19-year-old lass) in Barangay Pantalan Nabaye.
Trabado said the local government of Ajuy may declare a dengue outbreak if cases continue to rise.
From January 2018 to June 2, PHO recorded 309 suspected dengue cases with one death (reported in January).
Areas with the most number of cases were Janiuay (39), Passi City (25), Calinog (22), Pavia (17), Oton (16), Dumangas (14), Anilao (13), Pototan (13), Cabatuan (12), and Barotac Nuevo (10).
Be wary of day-biting mosquitoes because dengue has ceased to become a rainy season illness, it is now an all-year-round one, said Trabado.
Dengue mosquitoes breed in clean, stagnant water.
Trabado again reminded Ilonggos to observe the “4S strategy” to combat dengue:
* search and destroy mosquito breeding places
* self-protection measures
* seek early consultation for fever lasting more than two days
* say “no” to indiscriminate fogging
By the end of December last year, the number of dengue cases in the province reached 1,222 – with Passi City having the most cases at 96 cases with one death. Calinog had 95 cases with one death, too, said Trabado./PN
