Month-long rains trigger ailments in Agusan town

BAYUGAN, Agusan del Sur — At least four residents of two barangays here died while 12 others, mostly minors, were hospitalized due to dengue fever which has struck this town since last month, authorities said.

Thirteen others, meanwhile, sought treatment for diarrhea, and two more for typhoid fever. There were also 12 cases of gastroenteritis with mild dehydration and pneumonia.

The outbreak of diseases, attributed to the continuous rains in the past four weeks, has kept municipal health officials on their toes.

Bayugan Mayor Magdalena Asis, together with municipal nurse Helen Saligan, is submitting to provincial officials today an official list of the victims, mostly minors aged one to four.

Provincial information officer Ferdinand Perez said Gov. Adolph Edward Plaza, who was in Cebu City to attend the Sinulog Festival together with provincial board members, has instructed the provincial health office to assist the barangay and municipal officials of Bayugan in containing the outbreak of diseases. 

Bayugan is one of the most progressive and populated towns in the Caraga region.

Local health authorities have begun fumigating mosquito-breeding areas, instituting a referral system of victims to hospitals and health centers, disseminating information, and promoting sanitation in the affected communities.

Asis said three weeks of incessant rains have spawned dengue cases afflicting a number of children, especially pupils of a school in Barangay Poblacion.  

Saligan fears that the number of dengue cases could swell if no immediate measures are put in place. — Ben Serrano