Alcoy dengue cases not alarming

CEBU, Philippines - The Integrated Provincial Health Office has confirmed reports of dengue cases in the town of Alcoy in southern Cebu but said there is no cause for alarm.

IPHO chief Dr. Cristina Giango said that all areas in the province reportedly have dengue cases.

But they are closely monitoring the area in Alcoy since most cases are confined to one barangay which is Atabay. There are also a few cases in Barangay Daanlungsod.

Giango reported ten cases from October to December last year while five this month with one death at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center.

There were 36 cases earlier reported but when validated, Giango said the cause of fever of some cases was not dengue but other illnesses.

Giango urged the public to continue to practice cleanliness and sanitation in their respective households to prevent dengue cases.

The IPHO has been conducting information drive on dengue prevention up to the grassroots level through the Barangay Health Workers.

The remarkable decrease of dengue cases was attributed to the provincial government’s cleanliness and sanitation program.

The IPHO has recorded only five dengue-related deaths in 2011 compared to 39 in 2010.

Giango said Cebu had the least number of fatalities in 2011 compared to previous years. The highest, or 80 deaths, was recorded in 2007.

In 2010, there were 3,150 dengue-related cases recorded, while only 1,279 were recorded in 2011.

In 2010, Minglanilla got the most number of cases with 288 cases recorded while Danao City, which was fifth in 2010, tops the list in 2011 with 163 cases. Minglanilla is the third to have the most cases province-wide last year.

In terms of areas with the least number of dengue cases, both Madridejos and Santa Fe have only two cases each. Also, only one case was recorded in both Pilar and Tudela last year. (FREEMAN)