Normin ranks No. 3 in WHO dengue list

By URIEL C. QUILINGUING
Contributing Editor .

NORTHERN Mindanao had the third most number of dengue cases among the country’s 17 regions, according to a Philippines situation report the World Health Organization Philippines released Monday.

The WHO Situation Report 6 covered the 229,736 cumulative dengue cases of the country, with 958 deaths, for 33 epidemiological weeks, the last of which covered the Aug. 10 to 16 period.

Of the total figure, Region 10 had 17,674 cases and 67 fatalities from Jan. 1 to Aug. 16, this year, behind Western Visayas (Region 6) and Calabarzon (Region 4-A) with 36,892 and 30,889 dengue cases, respectively.

Confirmed fatalities due to dengue for the top three regions were: 179 in Western Visayas, 98 in Calabarzon, and 67 in Northern Mindanao.

On Tuesday, Department of Health regional entomologist Gemma Uy distributed copies of their Morbidity Week 35 report which indicated Northern Mindanao with 19, 525 cases and 76 fatalities.

“The number of dengue cases in the region is decreasing but we should not be over confident,” Uy said, adding that the anti-dengue campaigns anchored on the 5S must continue.

The 5S anti-dengue campaign includes search and destroy all possible breeding sites of mosquitoes, self-protection, seek early medical consultation, support fogging and misting, and stay hydrated.  

These, she said, must continue since Northern Mindanao remains above the alert and within the epidemic threshold levels.

Bukidnon, Camiguin, Lanao del Norte, Misamis Occidental and Misamis Oriental composed Northern Mindanao region while Western Visayas consists of Aklan, Antique, Negros Occidental, Capiz, Guimaras and Iloilo provinces. Calabarzon region, on the other hand, is the acronym for Calamba, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon provinces.      

These three were among the 11 regions that are within the alert and epidemic thresholds, the WHO report noted.

Within the threshold were Region 9 or Zamboanga Peninsula (16,695), Region 8 or Eastern Visayas (15,780), Region 12 or Central Mindanao (15,668), Region 3 or Central Luzon (14,485), National Capital Region (14,085), Region 7 or Central Visayas (13,673), Region 2 or Cagayan Valley (9,539), and Region 1 or Ilocos Region (8,427).

Those with relatively low dengue cases were Caraga (7,875), Region 4-B or Mimaropa (6,287), Region 5 or Bicol Region (5,712), Region XI or Davao Region(5,473), Cordillera Autonomous Region (4,547), and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (3,155).