Another Apas resident succumbs to dengue

For the second time in just two weeks, barangay Apas lost a resident to dengue.

Twenty-two-year-old Aster Mangcay, a second-year Hotel and Restaurant Management student of the University of Cebu from Surigao, succumbed to dengue after four days of recurring fever.

Kathleen Ayaay, public health nurse of barangay Apas, told The FREEMAN that Mangcay died at the Cebu City Medical Center early morning of Tuesday, just two days after he was first taken to said hospital on November 11. 

Ayaay said that according to Mangcay’s aunt, the victim started to have fever afternoon of November 9 and was made to take Biogesic. The next day, he was given Flanax due to severe body pain.

However, Mangcay reportedly started to vomit and that rashes started appearing on his skin, which prompted his guardian to bring him to CCMC on November 11. 

Ayaay said Mangcay’s aunt could not be sure what her nephew told the doctor who attended to him at the emergency room because he was only recommended to take medicine to combat his vomiting. He was reportedly advised to take Ranitidine, a gastrointestinal agent for gastritis.

Ayaay added that with the manifestations, Mangcay should have already been given a request for platelets test.

It was only after Mangcay was taken back to the hospital on November 12 that a Complete Blood Count was conducted. It turned out that with the constant vomiting and blood seen present in his feces, Mangcay only had 28,000 platelets, far from the normal 140-440,000 platelets.

That same day, Mangcay already became delirious and was hallucinating that doctors at CCMC reportedly told his aunt he only had a 50-50 chance of survival. He passed away 3 a.m. the other day.

On October 28, a five-year-old boy in sitio Baca, Apas also died because of dengue. Records from the barangay health center showed that the boy had manifestations of dengue four days after he was detected to have fever and cough. He was immediately taken to the hospital for platelets count but his platelets were found to be normal. Thus, he was only treated for cough. He died days later.

Ayaay said they are baffled on how to combat the outbreak of dengue in said barangay, particularly in sitio Baca, considering that they have been conducting “constant massive spraying and cleanliness drive in the area since months ago.” Nursing students from the University of the Visayas have also been deployed throughout the barangay to further educate the residents on dengue prevention.

She also said that they are very much alarmed and worried with the two deaths considering that both cases showed that the virus which infected both patients was lethal, as manifested by the blood in the feces.

Further, it was learned from Ayaay that there are only two personnel in the barangay health center who attend to 220 households of 670 families. The barangay has around 17,000 residents.

Last month alone, 14 dengue cases were recorded in barangay Apas. Another 18 were recorded this month. All patients were referred for hospitalization.  Seventy-seven cases have been recorded since January.

The city government has already allocated P5 million from its P20-million calamity fund for emergency responses on the spread of dengue, after the City Council declared the city under a state of calamity.

Other barangays with most number of dengue cases include Labangon, 97 cases with five deaths; Lahug, 93 cases with one death; Pardo, 65 cases with three deaths; Banawa, 61 cases with no deaths; Tisa, 59 cases with two deaths; Alumnos, 54 cases with no deaths; Barrio Luz, 49 cases with four deaths; Bulacao, 49 cases with four deaths and Talamban, 48 cases with no deaths. – Joeberth M. Ocao/MEEV