Dengue casualties reach 22 in Baguio

By Dexter A. See 

BAGUIO CITY – The Cordillera office of the Dept. of Health reported the number of deaths due to the dreaded dengue fever doubled to twenty two from Jan. 1 to Nov. 16, 2019 compared to the eleven dengue-related deaths during the same period last year.

Based on data obtained from the DOH-CAR’s regional epidemiology and surveillance unit (RESU), there were some 8,818 dengue suspect cases reported by the different district rural health units regionwide from January 1 to November 16, 2019 which was 9 percent higher compared to the 8,065 dengue cases recorded during the same period last year.

Health officials said clustering of cases was noted in the different parts of the region wherein some municipalities in the provinces of Abra, Apayao, Benguet, Ifugao and Mountain Province were noted to exceed the epidemic or alert threshold.

Previously, dengue fever usually follows a cyclic trend but to date, dengue has become a year-round illnesses that poses a serious threat to the lives of people who are not immediately provided with immediate medical attention.

Dengue fever is caused by any of the 4 zero types of the dengue virus wherein all the said strains are present in the Cordillera.

Experts disclosed that an infected day biting female aedes mosquito transmits the viral disease to humans and that such type of mosquito thrives in clear and stagnant water.

According to health officials, dengue fever cases are reported throughout the year but usually the number significantly increases during the rainy season that could reach widespread proportions if preventive measures of control are not immediately taken into consideration.

Among the dengue prevention and control measures include search and destroy the breeding ground of the dengue carrying mosquitoes, embrace self-protection measures to prevent persons from being bitten by the dengue-carrying mosquitoes, seek early consultations when suffering from two days of continuous fever and say no to indiscriminate forgoing in the neighborhood.

However, health officials claimed that dengue fever is curable, provided that, individuals infected with the dreaded illness will be given appropriate medical attention the earliest possible time considering that one of the serious negative effects of the illness is that the significant decline in the blood platelets of people acquiring the said illness.

Aside from prolonged high fever, individuals that acquire dengue fever often have dark spots on their skin which is an indication that the illness is in an advance stage that warrants immediate medical attention to prevent the untimely demise of patients.

Dengue is one of the dreaded illness that is undergoing surveillance by health authorities in the different parts of the region considering that the same is deadly once patients will not be provided with immediate medical attention or brought to the nearest medical health facility for the provision of appropriate health care.

Dengue patients are usually advised to hydrate themselves with different kinds of fluids to help strengthen their immune system for them to be able to combat the effects of the illness to their health condition, especially that they can easily acquire any of the dengue strains once they get sick with dengue.