Dengue cases up in Cagayan Valley

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya ,Philippines  – Dengue cases in Cagayan Valley have increased by over a hundred percent compared to the number of cases recorded last year, data at the Department of Health (DOH) regional office in Tuguegarao City showed.

The number of dengue fatalities is also three times higher compared to last year – from seven to 21 to date – including the recent reported deaths of three minors in Echague town in Isabela.

The DOH regional epidemiology unit has recorded 2,679 dengue cases in the region since January to date, a 164 percent increase compared to the 1,015 cases reported during the same period last year.

Marianne Lyn de Laza, head of the said unit, said most of the deaths were due to “late consultation,” or the victims seek medical treatment when they were already in a serious condition.

DOH records showed that the most number of dengue cases were reported in Isabela with 848 cases; followed by Batanes with 680; Nueva Vizcaya, 552; Cagayan 442 and Quirino, 232.

Only recently, Batanes declared a state of calamity due to dengue. A nine-year-old girl from Basco town was the first dengue fatality in the tiny island province.