ILOILO City – Cases of dengue hemorrhagic fever in Western Visayas are now almost 1,500.
From Jan. 1 to April 1 this year, 1,465 dengue cases were recorded – 136 percent higher than the 620 cases logged in the same period last year, data from the Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (RESU) of the Department of Health (DOH) Region 6 showed.
Iloilo province listed the highest cases at 385, followed by Negros Occidental with 348, Aklan (191), Capiz (136), Antique (133), Iloilo City (126), Bacolod City (112), and Guimaras (33). One case was contracted from another region but was detected in Western Visayas.
Data also showed the youngest victim of dengue in Region 6 was 29 days old while the oldest was 93 years old.
The age group with the most number of cases was one to 10 years old.
Moreover, 10 barangays in the region registered a clustering of dengue cases.
There is clustering of dengue cases if there are at least three cases within four consecutive weeks.
Meanwhile, DOH-6’s RESU recorded seven dengue deaths from Jan. 1 to April 1 – 50 percent lower compared to the 14 deaths logged in the same period last year.
This year’s deaths were logged in Aklan and lloilo City with two cases each and one each in Capiz, Negros Occidental and Bacolod City.
Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral infection causing a severe flu-like illness that could be fatal if not managed well. Its carriers are day-biting mosquitoes (Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti) that breed in clear, stagnant water.
The DOH said the peak in dengue cases has been observed every three to four years. The Philippines had a spike in dengue cases in 2016 and in 2019.
The health department has been emphasizing and reiterating to the public the importance of practicing the 4S strategy to prevent the spread of dengue: search and destroy mosquito-breeding sites; 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 increase in cases is registered for two consecutive weeks to prevent an impending outbreak./PN
