KIDAPAWAN CITY -- Dengue has claimed the lives of five people, three of them from North Cotabato province, since January 1, the regional health office said Friday.
Jenny Panizales Ventura, Department of Health (DOH) 12 (Soccsksargen) focal person on measles eradication, said the provinces of Sarangani and South Cotabato registered one fatality each.
From January 1 to February 28, the DOH-12 Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (RESU) listed 2,332 dengue cases across the region.
“This is 191 percent higher compared to the same period last year,” Ventura said, noting that the youngest dengue patient recorded in the region was a three-month-old while the oldest was 96 years old.
She added that most of the patients, 1,211 (52 percent), were male while 1,121 (48 percent) were female.
Aside from having the highest number of fatalities, North Cotabato also has the highest number of dengue patients at 800 followed by South Cotabato (707); Sarangani (257); Sultan Kudarat (239); General Santos City (218); and Cotabato City (111).
“Cotabato City has the highest percentage of change with only 27 dengue patients in 2018 and 111 this year during the same period,” Ventura said.
The dengue “hot spots” are in Barangay Poblacion, Carmen, North Cotabato; Barangay Maybay of Maitum, Sarangani; Barangay Zone III of Cotabato City; Barangay Poblacion of Polomolok, and Barangay Poblacion of Tupi, both in South Cotabato; and Barangay Calumpang in General Santos City. (PNA)
