7 dengue deaths recorded this year in North Cotabato

NORTH COTABATO, Philippines — The provincial health office recorded seven deaths among the 1,545 local patients afflicted with the mosquito-borne dengue fever from January to August 15 this year.

Physician Eva Rabaya, chief of the North Cotabato Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO), said their dengue statistics for the period was higher compared to last year's recorded cases.

She said North Cotabato Gov. Emmylou Taliño-Mendoza ordered provincial health workers to intensify the IPHO's anti-dengue operations to prevent more people from getting infected with the viral disease.

The municipality of Midsayap in the first district of North Cotabato had most number of dengue cases—a total of 275 patients—in the past seven months.

Next to Midsayap is Tulunan town, with 208 cases, followed by Kidapawan City, with 185 recorded dengue infections.

Kidapawan City is the capital of North Cotabato, which has 17 component-towns in three congressional districts.

Rabaya said most of the patients that got afflicted with dengue fever the past seven months were children.

Rabaya said the office of the provincial governor had also assured to support extensively the health department’s fogging operations in areas where there is high prevalence of dengue cases.

Rabaya said the governor also promised to help implement in the province the national government's Aksyon Barangay Kontra Dengue, or ABKD, campaign in villages and in schools.