Dengue cases in province up by 266%
THE number of dengue cases recorded in the province, year to date, is already much higher than last year.
So far, 529 cases have already been reported, including six deaths, making it 266% higher than the 144 recorded in the first half of last year.
The Provincial Health Office (PHO), through its officer Anna de Guzman, reported that the increase could be attributed to the “spillover” of excessive rains in the last three months last year, which left breeding grounds for mosquitoes that matured in the early part of 2011.
De Guzman, speaking during the Meet the Press forum of the Pangasinan Tri-Media Association (PATRIMA) on Tuesday, assured that despite the significant increase, the number of dengue cases is till below the threshold for declaring an epidemic.
An epidemic, she explained, is usually declared when ‘clustering’ is observed, meaning a certain number of cases are concentrated in an area over a period of time.
De Guzman said the PHO will immediately coordinate with barangay officials in case clustering occurs. (With report from PIA-Pangasinan)
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