DOH sets alert on high dengue cases in Cordi

BAGUIO CITY — The Cordillera office here of the Department of Health has issued an alert on expected increase in dengue fever cases in four provinces of the region during the rainy season.

DoH records show that dengue fever cases in Abra, Benguet, Kalinga, and Mountain Province indicated significant increases in the number of dengue fever cases during rainy days.

Dr. Myrna Cabotjae, DOH regional director, said the rainy season should be a period for people to be wary of water-borne diseases such as influenza, leptospirosis, and dengue, which claimed a number of lives in the past several years.

The number of dengue cases in Abra, which recorded only six dengue fever cases last year, increased to 12 this year; Benguet from 18 cases last year to 33 this year; Kalinga, from 24 last year to 41, this year; and Mountain Province, from nine last year to 21 this year.

The Cordillera DoH office also recorded a total of 1,500 influenza cases in this mountain resort city from January to May this year.

Cabotaje said that some 600 influenza patients have taken oropharyngal swabs, and of the 284 specimens collected from January to February, 244 were negative of the flu virus, 31 had influenza A, not A (H1N1), six had influenza B, and nine had respiratory virus.

The DoH official said that for the people to avoid becoming infected with diseases, they should adopt strategies aimed at eradicating dengue. These include search and destroy mosquito breeding sites, self-protection, and seeking early consultation.
Dengue fever is said to have a cyclical trend for a period of three years after the occurrence of an outbreak in a certain community.

The public should be aware of the trend, considering that it is a dreaded disease that could claim many lives in a short time.