Dengue on the rise

Clustering of cases reported in Balamban, Daanbantayan, Badian towns

At least three more deaths and more than 200 new cases of dengue fever were confirmed in Cebu province in just one week, government records showed yesterday.

Despite the uptrend, the Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (RESU-7) has not declared an outbreak in Cebu.

RESU-7 chief Rennan Cimafaranca said they were closely monitoring the towns of Balamban and Badian in the west coast, and  Daanbantayan in the north, as well as barangay Guadalupe in Cebu City because of the clustering of cases in these areas.

“There are at least two to three cases reported in the week in these areas,” Cimafaranca said in a forum yesterday.

As of Oct. 3, Balamban had 134 cases, Daanbantayan had 55 and one death, and Badian had one confirmed death.

A list of the top 20 municipalities and cities in the region in terms of dengue cases showed that there were 2,478 dengue cases in Cebu province with 13 deaths as of Oct. 3 compared to 2,235 cases and 10 deaths on Sept. 26.

The figures don’t include yet the cases and deaths in other municipalities and cities that were not in the top 20 list.

Cebu City topped the list as of Oct. 3, with 844 cases and 6 confirmed deaths. A week earlier,  Cebu City had only 789 cases and 3 deaths.

Cebu City Health Department officer-in-charge Dr. Daisy Villa, however, said their monitoring showed higher figures of 892 cases and 11 deaths from January to Oct. 5.

CLEAN-UP

Because of the growing incidence of dengue, Cimafranca of RESU-7 yesterday reminded local health units to start  clean-up campaigns and continue surveillance.

A P5 million budget has been allotted to buy  larvicides for distribution in the region.

“We are also asking an additional P10 million budget from the central office,” Michelle Acosta, Department of Health (DOH) 7 dengue program coordinator,  told reporters.

Sanitary inspectors and officers in every health unit were trained to to help monitor dengue cases.

At the Cebu Capitol, Provincial Health Office head Dr. Cynthia Genosolango said she will ask the League of Municipalities in the Philippines (LMP) Cebu chapter to encourage members to procure their own misting machines because the provincial government can’t combat the disease on their own.

The PHO lent three misting machines to Daanbantayan town in northern Cebu last Saturday, following the death of a 4-year-old boy due to dengue.

Genosolango said they also distributed 36,000 sachets of larvicidal solution in the town.

“Oftentimes, we only react because pro-action should be left to the communities since they are the ones directly concerned,” she said.

Two children in Cebu province died of dengue in the last two days.

A 6-year-old boy from Consolacion town was brought to Mendero Medical Center and died at 5 a.m. last Sunday .

A 6-year-old girl from Badian town died last Monday at the Chong Hua Hospital in Cebu City.

REGION

In Central Visayas, Cimafranca of RESU 7 said they have confirmed a total of 5,929 cases and 31 deaths from January to Oct. 3, 2015.

“It is 39 percent higher compared to the same period last year. Medyo alarming na siya (This is a bit alarming) because of the continuing increase in figures,” he said.

The figures were higher compared to the 5,099 cases and 25 deaths as of Sept. 26, he added.

Central Visayas  ranks eighth among the regions with the highest number of dengue cases and deaths nationwide. The National Capital Region (NCR) remains at the top of the list.

An outbreak remains in Sagbayan, Bohol and Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental.

Cimafranca urged local government units to intensify clean-up operations and the information campaign on dengue.

He also urged local health offices to give regular updates to the regional office and report exact figures.

“They need to be honest because it might be too late for us to declare an outbreak in an area,” Cimafaranca added.

Dengue fever, and its more severe form dengue hemorrhagic fever, is an acute viral infection transmitted to humans by the Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquito vectors.
There are four serotypes of the virus.