DOH 6 sustains dengue awareness campaign
The Department of Health 6 is conducting a series of visits to various provinces in Western Visayas to inform the public on the prevention of dengue and its signs and symptoms.
Dengue cases in the region have reached 11,896 as of August 21, according to the data of DOH 6 Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit.
The figure is higher by 282 percent compared to the cases in the same period last year, which were only 3,116.
There were 69 deaths recorded from January to August 21, from only 55 last year.
Dr. Fabian Mabasa, DOH-6 dengue regional coordinator, said that Western Visayas has already reached the “epidemic threshold,” however, the cases are slowly decreasing.
He said Region 6 like other regions are struggling to fight the epidemic, and cleanliness of surroundings is one way to prevent the deadly disease.
Mabasa said the massive clean-up activities conducted by both Iloilo City and Province have helped a lot.
But cleaning the surroundings should be lifetime practice, not only because there is dengue epidemic, he said.
The DOH 6 RESU reported that the provinces of Negros Occidental, Iloilo and Capiz have the highest number of cases.
Negros Occidental has recorded 3,158 cases with 20 deaths; Iloilo, 2,915 cases, with 15 deaths; and Capiz, 2,315 cases with and 19 deaths.
Alternative Treatment
Meanwhile, former Health Secretary Jaime Galvez Tan yesterday urged the government to heighten efforts to research on alternative treatment for the dengue virus whose recorded victims nationwide, children and adults alike, has been rising and expected to reach 80,000 by the end of this year.
The DOH said dengue cases in the country started rising in May and peaked in July and August due to El Niño and the presence of all four strains of dengue.
As of August 21, DOH recorded 62,503 cases, 88.8 percent higher than the 33,102 cases recorded in the same period in 2009, with death toll reaching 465 this year and 350 last year.
Galvez Tan, a herbalist, has been advocating for the production of herbal medicine to fight dengue, particularly the “tawa-tawa” known by its scientific name “Euphorbia hirta” after a serious scare hit the country some years back.
In a media briefing, Galvez Tan said the government should invest some money to look into an alternative treatment for dengue, from a non-toxic larvicidal to herbal medicine.
He added that an initial P20 million or so could help health experts find out the genuine efficacy of the “tawa-tawa” plant.
But Dr. Eric Tayag, director of the DoH National Epiddemiology Center, discouraged the public from using herbal medicine for dengue, saying dengue-affected patients should not depend on the use of herbal medicine, especially the “tawa-tawa” to cure the dengue virus.
Tayag said that dengue-infected individuals should first take oral rehydration salt solution.
He said persons with dengue symptoms should resort to other alternatives like preparing one liter of water mixed with one spoonful of sugar and one spoonful of salt, and a patient with fever can take one glass every hour, or every two hours.
But Tayag stressed DOH is open to, and still studying the healing property of “tawa-tawa” and until such a result is available, persons believe affected by dengue symptoms should consult a physician about their cases.*
