Three children die of dengue in city

CEBU - The dreaded dengue virus that claimed the lives of 53 people in Cebu City last year has again struck in 25 of the city’s 80 barangays, killing three children.

Durinda Macasucol, assistant chief of the City Epidemiology Statistics and Surveillance Unit, said the casualties are residents from barangays Labangon, Lorega-San Miguel and Binaliw.

Macasucol said the victim in Labangon was a five-year-old girl who was brought to the hospital last January 17 after she experienced high fever. She died two days later.

An eight-year-old boy from barangay Lorega-San Miguel was also rushed to the hospital on January 20 because of fever, but died four days later.

Also on January 20 a four-year old girl from barangay Binaliw was also brought to the hospital after she experienced high fever and died the following day. 

“Pait lagi kaayo kay taas gihapon ang casualty rate,” Macasucol said, saying that from January 1 up to January 31 there were 36 reported dengue cases in Cebu City.

But Macasucol said the figure is much lower compared to the 136 dengue cases in January 2008 where eight of the victims died. 

Macasucol said the city should not be lax in the fight against the virus-carrying mosquitoes considering that, while there were less dengue cases last year and last month, the casualty rate is high.

Dengue cases in 2007 reached 2,200 with 53 deaths, while the dengue cases in last year went down to 1,260 but with 52 casualties.

Persons with high fever will be subjected to a platelet and hematocrit tests to determine whether they have been afflicted with the dengue virus.

The symptoms of dengue fever disease include fever, severe headache, joint pains, weakness and skin rashes. 

Meanwhile, there was a marked decrease in the number of dengue cases in the province in 2008 compared to 2007, according to provincial health officer Cristina Giango.

In a comparative date of dengue cases and deaths, there were 1,408 dengue cases recorded in 2008 which is 69.27 percent lower than in 2007 which had 4,583 cases recorded.

Records also show that there were 31 dengue deaths in 2008 compared to 80 dengue deaths in 2007.

Topping the list of cases of dengue are the cities of Talisay and Toledo City, with 160 and 97, respectively, in 2008. Talisay City and Toledo City ranked second and fifth in 2007, respectively.

Talisay City Cordova and Consolacion recorded three deaths each in 2008.

Other areas in Cebu having a high incidence of dengue include Minglanilla, 94; Naga City, 87; Cordova, 86; Consolacion, 77; Danao City, 70; Oslob, 66; Carcar City, 55 and Moalboal, 54.

The months of January, February and March recorded the highest number of dengue cases while March recorded the highest number of fatalities in 2008 with nine.

Giango said that the public should remain aware of the dengue threat and strive to maintain cleanliness of their surroundings to prevent the proliferation of dengue-carrying mosquitoes.

The PHO advised the public to immediately consult a doctor in case of fever that last two days or more.

“We encourage the patient or parents to seek early consultation,” Giango said.

The Aedes Aegypti mosquito, the carrier of the dengue virus, is a day-biting insect that thrives in clean stagnant water. Health officials once again stressed the importance of cleaning one’s surroundings and destroying the possible breeding sites of the dengue-carrier vector.

Local government units are also advised to alert health units of identified municipalities of the possible increase in dengue cases. Improvement of environmental sanitation is also seen as an effective defense against the dreaded dengue fever. — Rene U. Borromeo and Garry B. Lao/BRP   (THE FREEMAN)