Baby girl first dengue fatality in Batanes

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya ,Philippines  – A nine-month-old baby girl became the first known fatality of dengue in Batanes, although cases of the disease were on the downtrend. 

Gov. Vicente Gato yesterday said the baby girl from Basco town, the province’s capital, died at the Batanes Provincial Hospital earlier this month because she was not immediately given medical attention. 

“Her case was thought to be merely a case of fever and flu. However, when she started to show the symptoms of dengue, it was already too late,” Gato said.

The girl was among more than 600 islanders afflicted with dengue or hemorrhagic fever since the outbreak – the first the country’s northernmost province has experienced.

Gato said all municipalities in the province have reported dengue cases, on Batan Island where four towns are located.

Of the dengue patients, reports said only five remained under treatment, including three from Sabtang town, where a state of calamity was earlier declared due to the outbreak.

“We had a relatively difficult time to control the disease since it takes some time to reach the other island municipalities of Sabtang and Itbayat due to the rough waves. But thanks to the help of our congresswoman (Henedina Abad) and the Department of Health, we have been able to curb the (spread of the) disease,” Gato said.