AN official of the Department of Health in Region 10 yesterday reminded all local government health offices of the urgency to revive dengue preventive measures, after the mosquito-borne disease claimed 14 lives in Northern Mindanao within five months, this year.
DOH-10 director Adriano Suba-an, in a press briefing, said his office has recorded 3,827 dengue cases in Northern Mindanao during the period.
“Although the figure is 52.85% lower than the total cases, for the same period, last year, the case fatality rate is 0.37%,” said Suba-an, thus community residents must revive the time-tested “5S” strategies in averting a dengue outbreak .
These steps at the household and village levels are search and destroy mosquito breeding sites, self-protection measures, seek early consultation and treatment, support fogging, spraying or misting to ward off mosquitoes, and to sustain one’s hydration.
From January to March 13, this year, Northern Mindanao was one of two regions that has exceeded the region’s “alert threshold,” hence an advisory was issued by the office of the health secretary.
In Cagayan de Oro, city epidemiologist Joselito Retuya said there have been 465 dengue virus infections in the city, about 46% shy of last year’s 859 cases for a five-month period.
Retuya’s graphic presentation in City Hall daily TV program Monday last week showed that the city’s dengue cases per month were: May (22), April (50), March (52), February (122), and January (219). All of these monthly figures last year were higher and 2019 ended with a cumulative total of 4,345 dengue patients, 16 of them died.
Meanwhile, Dr. Ramon Nery, medical director of city government-managed Justiniano R. Borja General Hospital, disclosed that dengue has not been in the Top 10 leading causes of admissions, this year.
Nery said that in April, there were 15 dengue cases and the disease ranked 15th among the hospital admissions.
In Misamis Oriental, a reduced number of dengue cases was also noted, to 574 from 1,312 last year’s January to May or down by over 56% and this was reported by the local health office Wednesday last week.
This, even as Misamis Occidental Gov. Philip Tan, two months ago, already urged his constituents, to make use of their time, staying at home due to travel restrictions due to the disease pandemic.
Tan advised them to clean their dwellings and surroundings, thus ridding themselves of mosquito breeding sites, as well as to plant lemon grasses since these could ward off mosquitoes.
The provincial government spent P15,000 for every dengue patient last year, and there were 3,046 of them, the governor said.
On May 3, Bukidnon Gov. Jose Ma. Zubiri issued a memorandum to all city and municipal mayors in his province, calling the attention of all local health officials to revive the massive information campaign on the 5S dengue prevention measures.
The land-locked province had 9,654 dengue patients last year, and 16 of them died.
Regionwide, there were 104 fatalities out of the 28,927 confirmed dengue cases last year and Northern Mindanao ranked third among 17 regions, when the health department declared a nationwide dengue epidemic. (Uriel C. Quilinguing)
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