DOH declares dengue outbreak in Pampanga

SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga, Philippines – A dengue outbreak has been declared in the town of Sta. Rita in this province following an increase in the number of cases from January to September this year.

Jesse Fantone, chief of the Department of Health Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (RESU), said 84 dengue cases were reported, including two deaths.

He identified the fatalities as Mackenzie Rose David, seven, and Thea May Quiambao, 21, both residents of Barangay San Jose, Sta. Rita town.

Fantone said the number of cases is up by 91 percent compared to only seven cases during the same period last year.

RESU records showed that there were 5,524 dengue cases in Central Luzon from January to September this year – a 47.6 percent decrease compared to 10,541 cases for the same period last year.

In Aurora, dengue cases also dropped by 83.7 percent this year with 79 cases, compared to 486 cases in 2013.

In Bulacan, 1,087 dengue cases were reported in the first nine months of the year as compared to 2,542 cases in the same period last year.

A total of 711 cases in Tarlac were reported this year, a decrease compared to 1,637 cases in 2013.

Dengue cases also declined in the provinces of Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Bataan and Zambales.

The mortality rate due to dengue in the region likewise decreased from 23 in 2013 as against 11 this year.