DOH: Kids didn’t die of dengue, Japanese encephalitis

SAN PEDRO CITY—The Department of Health (DOH) ruled out the mosquito-borne illnesses dengue and Japanese encephalitis behind the deaths of two schoolchildren from Los Baños town in Laguna province. “It’s most likely coincidental. The causes of their deaths were also different,” said Bobbie Roca, coordinator of the DOH Regional Epidemiology Surveillance Unit in Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon). A 9-year-old girl and a 6-year-old boy died on June 18 and 22, respectively, after suffering from fever and abdominal pains. Both went to the same school in Los Baños. According to the municipal health office, both children tested negative for Japanese encephalitis and dengue, which is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito. Roca said they went around the hospitals in Los Baños and found no records that might suggest Japanese encephalitis cases. —MARICAR CINCO