Negros Occidental posts sharp rise in dengue cases

BACOLOD CITY—Dengue cases in Negros Occidental have increased by 423.63 percent over the first half of 2022 compared to the same period last year, health authorities in the province reported.

Dr. Ernell Tumimbang, provincial health officer, on Thursday said Negros Occidental logged 953 dengue cases from Jan. 1 to June 4 this year, compared to 182 recorded in the same period in 2021.

There were also five deaths due to dengue in the province this year compared to three in 2021.

According to Tumimbang, the highest number of dengue cases this year was recorded in Himamaylan City with 88.

The cases in Binalbagan town also increased from two in 2021 to 57 this year or by 2,750 percent.

Tumimbang said the dengue cycle of increase usually happened every three years and 2022 is the third year since the last surge of dengue cases in the province.

“Every three years we experience surges in dengue cases,” Tumimbang said.

Larvicide distribution

Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said the province had allocated funds for its dengue preventive measures as early as the start of this year to make sure that they would be in place at the onset of the rainy season.

Larvicide, he said, should be distributed to the local governments for application in possible breeding areas of mosquitoes which are dengue carriers.

Larvicide kills mosquito larvae before they grow into adults.

Dengue is transmitted mainly by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which thrives in densely populated tropical climates and breed in stagnant water.

The mosquitoes pick up the virus from infected humans and pass it along to other people through bites.

The infection triggers a severe flu-like illness often followed by a severe drop in an infected person’s platelet count.

Other symptoms of the mosquito-borne disease include severe headache, pain behind the eyes, full-body aches, nausea, vomiting, swollen glands or rash. There is no known cure for dengue yet.—CARLA P. GOMEZ

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