FIGHTING DENGUE. Health workers conduct fogging activities in Tacloban City in this June 18, 2022 photo. Dengue fever cases continue to rise in Eastern Visayas with nine deaths and 2,678 patients downed by mosquito bites from January 1 to July 9 this year, the Department of Health (DOH) reported on Tuesday (July 12). (Photo courtesy of Tacloban city health office)
TACLOBAN CITY – Dengue fever cases continue to rise in Eastern Visayas with nine deaths and 2,678 patients downed by mosquito bites from January 1 to July 9 this year, the Department of Health (DOH) reported on Tuesday.
The number of cases this year is 727 percent higher compared to the same period in 2021 with 323 cases.
The DOH has no available data on the number of deaths in 2021.
DOH regional information officer Jelyn Lopez-Malibago said 89 more cases were recorded from July 3 to 9 in the region’s six provinces.
“The DOH records an increase of dengue fever cases in the region based on the pattern that case usually rises every three to four years. This is expected considering that the last outbreak was experienced last 2019,” Malibago said in a phone interview.
In 2019, the region recorded 26,263 dengue fever cases and 75 deaths for the entire year.
From January 1 to July 9, deaths have been reported in the towns of Jaro and Ormoc City in Leyte; Taft and Hernani in Eastern Samar; Calbayog City, Samar; and Maasin City, Liloan, and Padre Burgos in Southern Leyte.
Of the 2,678 cases, including deaths, 979 were logged in Leyte province, 878 in Southern Leyte, 239 in Samar, 239 in Eastern Samar, 224 in Biliran, and 119 in Northern Samar.
The DOH said 47 villages in Ormoc City, Tacloban City, Leyte, Eastern Samar, Southern Leyte, and Biliran provinces have a clustering of cases or have three to four infected.
“The DOH has strengthened its surveillance, health promotion, education, and advocacy activities and has conducted meetings with local governments and other partner agencies in order to mitigate the further increase of cases and deaths caused by dengue,” Malibago added.
The health department reminded the public to do the task of preventing dengue such as the "4S" strategy, especially since the rainy season has started.
The "4S" strategy cover the search and destroy mosquito breeding places, seeking early consultation, self-protection methods, and support fogging/spraying only in hot spot areas, where an increase in cases is registered for two consecutive weeks to prevent an outbreak.
Dengue fever is marked by the onset of sudden high fever, severe headache, and pain behind the eyes, muscles, and joints.
Some may develop rashes and varying degrees of bleeding in different parts of the body.
The health department asked city and town mayors to regularly organize cleanup campaigns focusing on the destruction of mosquito-breeding places in their areas. (PNA)
