Officials alarmed as dengue claims lives in Iloilo, Bacolod
City health officials have rung the alarm bells following the recent death of a three-year old girl from Veterans Village, City Proper because of dengue fever.
The three-year old girl identified as Anne Sheryn Zamora is the second to have died of dengue in the said barangay which has already registered a total of 20 dengue cases. Last month a four-year old child also died of the mosquito-borne disease.
Nelma Zamora, grandmother of the three-year old girl, said she did not know that her daughter was already suffering from dengue fever as she thought that it was just an ordinary flu.
When the girl started vomiting they decided to bring them to the hospital but after several hours the girl died.
City Health Officer Dr. Urminico Baronda has already instructed his personnel to visit Veterans Village and coordinate with barangay officials to conduct clean up operations to rid the breeding ground of mosquitoes.
City Mayor Jerry Treñas also sought the cooperation of residents not only in Veterans Village but also in other barangays of the city to stop dengue fever as the rainy season sets in.
Baronda said it is expected that dengue cases will rise with the onset of the rainy season.
Barangay officials have also asked the help of private organizations for the conduct of fogging operations in their area.
To recall, the first casualty of dengue fever in the city for this year involved an 11-year old child from Brgy. Sinikway, La Paz in January.
CHO record from January to April of this year showed four recorded deaths.
The city’s control measures include the declogging of drainage system which is handled by the City Engineer's Office while the CHO office is prepared whenever there is a need to have fogging operations in the affected barangays. So far, Veterans Village is the first barangay to have the most number of dengue cases.
Residents are asked to get rid of mosquito breeding places such as old tires, cans and other containers. The dengue carrying mosquitoes also inhabit in dark places and stagnant water.
The symptoms for a person with dengue viruses range from mild fever to incapacitating fever with severe headache. The person also experiences pain behind the eyes, muscle and joint pain and rash.
Early medical attention and careful management by doctors increase the survival rate of patients. There are cases wherein victims are only brought to the hospital when they suffer from abdominal pain, vomiting and bleeding aside from fever. Hydration of the patient is important.
Mayor Treñas said the clean-up drive is important in the campaign against dengue. “Cleaning our surroundings is very important as a pro-active measure to contain the problem against dengue infection,” he said. In several instances, Treñas has sought the cooperation of the punong barangay in the clean-up drive and proper reporting of the dengue cases.
Aside from the clean-up drive, the city government has already conducted massive information campaign in city’s 180 barangays to fight dengue-carrying mosquitoes. Flyers and information campaign materials were distributed to the different health centers for their references once dengue cases hit their areas. The city health and private doctors have already learned how to manage dengue cases. We have not much problem in the past few years,” Treñas said.
Meanwhile, in Bacolod City, the City Health Office (CHO) has also reported two deaths caused by dengue from January to May 11 of this year with a total number of cases reaching 123.
The CHO identified the fatalities as Gynette Edwyn Anasta of Brgy. Handumanan and Mark Diola from Vista Alegre, Abada Escay, this city.
Comparing it to last year, records from the CHO shows a 15% drop in dengue cases in the same period with 144 cases.
The year 2007 saw 19 deaths with 3,100 dengue cases but sharply fell to 4 deaths with only 462 cases the following year.
Health officials have called for the cleaning of surroundings as dengue mosquitoes thrive in dirty and dark areas. Pools of water gathering on rooftops, old tires and even on flowers should also be cleared to prevent the breeding of the insect.
Those suffering from fever should monitor their disease and immediately see a physician if they see signs of dengue, among them: fever, drop in platelet count, rashes and intense sweating. (With reports from PIA Negros Occ.)