BAGUIO CITY – Eight people died after being afflicted with the dreaded dengue fever in the different parts of the Cordillera this year, health authorities said here recently.
Based on the data obtained from the Cordillera office of the Department of Health (DOH-CAR), six of the fatalities are bonafide residents of the Cordillera while the two other deaths are considered to be non-Cordillera dengue fever cases.
Of the recorded deaths due to dengue fever, two casualties were from barangays Asin and Kias in Baguio City; two deaths were from the towns of Boliney and Luba in Abra and the other two fatalities were from Luna, Apayao. The two non-Cordillera cases were from Cervantes, Ilocos Sur but sought medical treatment in a medical facility in the region.
From January to the present, the DOH-CAR recorded a total of 4,964 dengue fever cases in the different parts of the region and the said figure is more than 190 percent higher compared to the reported number of dengue fever cases during the same period last year.
Health officials reminded the public to observe cleanliness not only inside their houses but also in their surroundings by getting rid of containers of clear stagnant water which are the favourite breeding sites of the dengue-carrying mosquitoes.
For the past several years, dengue fever, which was previously a cyclical illness, has become a year-round dreaded sickness that tends to affect all ages who are bitten by the dengue-carrying mosquitoes.
DOH-CAR officials appealed to the public to seek immediate medical attention once experiencing flu-like symptoms and high fever for two days considering that dengue fever is curable provided that treatment will be given at the early stages of the illness.
In the city, the top five barangays with high prevalence of dengue fever cases include Camp 7, Irisan, Kias, Asin, Bakaeng Norteand Loakan proper.
Previously, the DOH-CAR was able to report dengue fever outbreak in the municipalities of Tadian and Paracelis in Mountain Province the resulted to a 682 percent increase in the number of people affected by the illness in the whole province this year compared to the same period the previous year.
Further, dengue fever outbreaks were also reported in Luna, Apayao that contributed in the 435 percent increase in the number of dengue cases this year compared to the same period last year.
Health officials disclosed the declaration of dengue outbreak in certain localities will be dependent on the concerned municipal, city or provincial government who can predict the latest developments in their own areas of jurisdiction and could gauge the capabilities of the health units that are in place in their places.
The DOH-CAR appealed to the public not to resort to fogging activities in order to drive away the dengue-carrying mosquitoes but instead practice cleanliness inside and outside their homes to be able to get rid of the multiplication of the mosquitoes that inflict the dreaded illness to innocent individuals.
By Dexter A. See
