574 dengue cases in Bacolod City reported
BACOLOD CITY — City Health Officer Dr. Salome Biñas reported recently to Mayor Evelio Leonardia that dengue cases in Bacolod City reached to 574 with six confirmed deaths reported by different hospitals from January 1 to July 18 this year.
Biñas said that this is 130 percent higher compared to the same period last year but 34 percent lower than same period last 2007. She stressed that this number of cases continues to rise and maybe because of the increase of the population and insufficient waste management in the household level.
Because of this reported dengue cases, Mayor Evelio Leonardia wrote the Sangguniang Panlungsod through Vice Mayor Jude Thaddeus Sayson, requesting the latter for the passage of a resolution declaring that there is an imminent danger of calamity in Bacolod City.
Biñas said that as of this date, the most number of cases came from Barangay Estefania, followed by Barangay Villamonte, Mansilingan, Taculing, Mandalagan, Banago, Tangub, Alijis and Bata. She noted that this cases came from the densely populated barangays of Bacolod City. She also said that her office, continue to implement various programs such as intensifying education campaign, distribution of IEC materials, lecture on schools, hotels and offices.
Her office likewise applies larvaecidal chemicals to stagnant water in all barangays, fogging of confirmed cases and fogging of public establishments and schools. Earlier, the Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (RESU) was able to monitor a total 1,675 for the period January 1 to July 18, 2009. These cases were monitored from the 29 sentinel sites throughout Western Visayas. The number of dengue cases in the regional level, is 26 percent higher compared to the same period last year. Ages of the patients range from less than 3 months to 75 years old (median 10 years). Majority of the cases are males (53%). Fifty two percent of the cases belonged to the 1-10 years age group. Most of the cases were identified from the two highly urbanized cities of Iloilo and Bacolod.