Karen Lonogan, Senior Health Program Officer at the Regional Epidemiology Surveillance Unit (RESU) of the Department of Health-Cordillera (File Photo by Ruthanna Uy/DOH)
BAGUIO CITY -- The Department of Health (DOH) in Cordillera reported that cases of dengue in the region doubled, while leptospirosis cases increased by 23 percent in the first 10 months of the year.
The DOH-Cordillera recorded a total of 6,899 dengue cases from Jan. 1 to Nov. 3 this year, a 100-percent rise from the 3,431 cases registered in the same period last year.
The agency tallies the incidents weekly.
“Based on the collated reports from disease reporting units (DRUs) in provinces comprising the region, there were 11 deaths due to dengue this year, compared with 10 deaths last year,” Karen Lonogan, a nurse at the Regional Epidemiology Surveillance Unit (RESU) of the DOH Cordillera, told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) in an interview on Tuesday.
Kalinga province recorded the most cases of dengue with 1,210; followed by Apayao with 1,203 cases; Benguet, 1,083; Abra, 913; Ifugao, 719; Baguio City, 505 cases; and Mountain Province, 243 cases.
Lonogan said out of the total recorded cases of dengue, 1,023 patients came from provinces outside the Cordillera but sought medical treatment in hospitals in the region.
She said out of the total cases, 3,665 were males aged four days to 96 years old.
Out of the 11 reported deaths, eight were from Cordillera, she added.
“We urge the public to maintain cleanliness in their houses and in their surroundings by destroying mosquito breeding places,” Lonogan said.
Meanwhile, leptospirosis cases went up from 77 in the first 10 months of 2017 to 95 in the same period this year.
The deaths tripled, too, from two deaths in 2017 to six deaths this year.
Lonogan explained that leptospirosis is caused by the leptospira bacteria carried by rats and other four-legged animals like livestock and dogs.
She said the leptospira bacteria is most commonly spread via water contaminated with urine of infected animals, although contaminated food or soil can also be vehicles for the transmission of the disease.
Based on DRU reports, Benguet had 16 cases of leptospirosis; Baguio has 13 cases, Apayao, 10; Kalinga, seven; Ifugao, four; Mountain province, three; and Abra, two.
Of the total leptospirosis cases, 40 were patients from non-Cordillera provinces.
Apayao province recorded the highest increase at 67 percent, while Kalinga recorded the biggest decrease at 42 percent.
Lonogan said the frequent rains in Apayao had contributed to the increase in cases of the diseases in the province.
On the other hand, Kalinga saw a big reduction in cases of the diseases, as residents have become more aware of the disease.
“Iba na rin yung health behavior ng community, hindi na sila naghihintay na lumala ang signs and symptoms. Pag feeling nila hindi sila okay, nagpapa-check-up na sila agad (The people’s health behavior has changed, no longer waiting for the signs and symptoms to get worse. When they feel sick, they seek medical assistance at once),” Lonogan noted.
The official urged all Cordillera residents, especially the parents, to prevent their children from swimming or wading in potentially contaminated water. (PNA)
