Dengue again on the rise
LINGAYEN-With the onset of the rains, the threat of rise in cases of dengue fever again looms.
For the period January to June this year, four persons have already died due to the deadly mosquito-borne disease while 68 suspected cases have been reported by the Provincial Health Office as of Tuesday.
Dr. Ana Theresa de Guzman, assistant provincial health officer, told local newsmen that two of the fatalities were from Urdaneta City, and one each from the towns of Dasol and Lingayen.
She also identified Dagupan City as having the most number of suspected dengue cases at 27 but without mortality. The capital town of Lingayen had six.
Across the province, 45 percent of the victims are children, the youngest was a seven-month old baby while the oldest was aged 39.
Compared to the same period last year’s record, De Guzman said they had 130 cases without mortality. But deaths started to occur during the rainy months from July onwards with a total of 23 for the entire year of 2006 and 2,168 cases.
Last year, the province was put on alert threshold level, but never reached outbreak level.
De Guzman attributes the big decrease in number of dengue cases this year to the heightened awareness of the people and the early alert campaign to fight this disease carried by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.
Advocacy seminars have been conducted in different areas of the province from June 13 to 15.
Dengue is characterized by high fever, muscle and joint pains and rashes.
De Guzman said the Four S has been stressed in the advocacy campaigns which stand for: 1. Seek early consultation. 2. Search and destroy places where mosquitoes breed. 3. Say no to indiscriminate fogging. 4. Self-protection by wearing appropriate clothes to avoid mosquito bites.—EVA
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