By Gail Momblan/Philippine News Agency
ILOILO CITY — The number of dengue deaths in the province of Iloilo has climbed to 15, the Provincial Health Office (PHO) said.
The dengue deaths were recorded from January 1 to June 13, 2019.
Dr. Maria Socorro Colmenares-Quiñon, provincial health officer, said on Tuesday the town of Concepcion still has the most number of deaths with four. This is followed by the towns of Bingawan, Banate, Pototan, and Pavia with two each; and Santa Barbara, New Lucena, and Dueñas with one each.
Youngest fatalities were four-year-old male and female both from Concepcion town while the oldest was a 70-year-old female from Santa Barbara, she said.
Among the towns with the most number of dengue cases are Pototan and Passi City with 261 each; Calinog with 181; and Concepcion with 176.
Quiñon has emphasized that the dengue deaths were recorded in the towns with a high number of dengue cases. “That’s why we work hard to have fewer cases because what happens is that the more cases recorded, the more chances of dying,” she said in an interview Tuesday.
The disease mostly attacks children in the 1-10 age group with a total of 1, 300.
Therefore, children under this age group are considered “vulnerable” and were also taught to protect themselves from the disease.
She said the province has activated the dengue brigade in schools where educators also took part in teaching children on seeking and destroying mosquitoes’ breeding places, among others.
“We give them the information and education materials that they can reproduce and distribute to the kids. It is a checklist of different containers at home that they can search and spill water that can become breeding sites of dengue-carrying mosquitoes,” she said.
The children will bring the containers to school and show to their teachers that they practice the “search and destroy” measure in the “4S Kontra Dengue” strategy.
Other measures in the 4S are to “Secure Self Protection” from mosquito bites, “Seek Early Consultation” when signs and symptoms of dengue occur, and “Say Yes to Fogging” as a last resort when there is a looming outbreak.
Quiñon reminded the public not to spill stagnant water on drainage systems as mosquito eggs and larvae can still survive in the water.
“Part of the search and destroy measure is spilling of stagnant water but we remind the public to spill water on dry areas, and not on drainage, to successfully kill mosquito eggs,” she said.
The PHO also encourages the use of mosquito repellent available in the market to protect oneself from mosquito bites.
Parents and guardians are again advised to seek early treatment “as some dengue cases can immediately become critical even after three days from the onset of fever,” she said.
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