MANILA, Philippines – The province of Cavite has recorded a total of 21 dengue-related deaths from January this year until last Friday, July 19, the province’s chief epidemiologist said on Wednesday.
According to Dr. Nelson Soriano, the recorded deaths were out of the 4,108 dengue cases recorded by the provincial government.
“Sa kabuuan po, meron na pong 4,108 cases sa buong probinsya, meron na pong 21 deaths na naitala kami sa lalawigan,” Soriano said in a radio interview with DZMM.
Majority of the dengue cases were recorded in Dasmariñas City, with 913 cases. Soriano said an average of 15 to 20 dengue patients are admitted daily in the city’s General Emilio Aguinaldo Memorial Hospital.
On Tuesday, the provincial government of Cavite declared a dengue outbreak, after having the highest number of cases in the whole Calabarzon region.
READ: Dengue outbreak declared in Cavite
“Inanalyze po namin at nakita po namin na marami nang bayan at siyudad ang higit na sa outbreak threshold, ito po ay ang Alfonso, Carmona, Dasmariñas, GMA (General Mariano Alvarez), General Trias, Indang, Naic, Silang, at Tagaytay,” Soriano said.
“Simula pa po ito no’ng January, lumalampas na sa alert threshold,” he added.
The health official however assured that hospitals in the province can still accommodate patients, and that they still have adequate medicine and hospital supplies such as blood needed for transfusions.
“Sa ngayon po nakakaya pa, pero hindi ko po alam, hindi na po namin ma-address yung ibang problema kasi regulations na po yun eh […] Tumutlong naman po ang provincial government para maka-procure ng IV (intravenous) fluids at blood products,” Soriano explained.
Soriano speculated that the outbreak was caused by poor garbage collection and the lack of water supply, which forced residents to store water in drums and other containers. Female mosquitos, mostly the species Aedes aegypti carry and transmit the dengue virus. The mosquitoes thrive in damp areas and lay their eggs in stagnant water.
“Tuwing tag-ulan lalong lalo na po, marami ang breeding sites na hindi naman nalilinisan, nagkakaproblema, mataas po ang populasyon namin,” he said.
“Bukod po doon hindi naman adequate ang aming koleksyon and disposal ng solid waste, tapos hindi naman po lahat adequate ang water supply,” he noted.
Last July 15, the Department of Health (DOH) declared a national dengue alert due to a spike in dengue cases nationwide. According to Health Secretary Francisco Duque, there are over 106,000 cases reported from January 2019 to June 29, a staggering increase from the 57,564 cases in the same period last year.
According to DOH, some of the symptoms of dengue are high fever, severe headache, pain behind the eyes, severe joint and muscle pain, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, and skin rashes.
Duque urged people with the following symptoms to seek immediate attention to prevent further deaths. He also asked the public to employ the 4S strategy, which means to search and destroy mosquito breeding places; self-protective measures; seeking medical advice on the first signs and symptoms; and saying yes to fogging. /muf
READ: DOH declares national dengue alert
READ: DOH declares national dengue alert — but no epidemic