TRECE MARTIRES CITY, Cavite – Cavite Governor Jesus Crispin Remulla confirmed on Wednesday that dengue cases in the province has increased but clarified that this is “not a province-wide outbreak.”
Remulla aired this after data from Cavite Health Office’s Provincial Epidemiology & Surveillance Unit (PESU) reported an increase in dengue cases by 64% this year.
The team of physicians from PESU, headed by Dr. Nelson C. Soriano, said the the dengue report covers Jan. 1 to March 11 on 1,499 cases reported this year, compared to 944 last year.
PESU, however, quickly clarified to the public that the recent increase in the number of dengue cases has nothing to do with Dengvaxia or the dengue vaccine.
It stressed that the reported cases affect ages ranging from 4 months to 95 years (median 12 years) and that majority of the cases were males (54%).
PESU added that “of the total cases reported during this period, 1,007 (or 67%) were hospitalized, 19 (or 1%) were laboratory-confirmed, and five reported deaths.
The five casualties are one each from the towns of Alfonso, Silang and the city of Dasmariǹas while two were reported in Tanza town.
PESU also disclosed that the city/municipality with the highest number of cases is General Trias with 15% or 219 reported cases; followed by Naic (171), Bacoor City (168), Imus City (165), Tanza (121), Dasmariǹas City (110), Trece Martires City (92), Rosario (91), Noveleta (63) and Silang (56).
There were also reported cases in Cavite City (47), Kawit (41), Indang (32), Carmona (26), Mendez (18), Gen Mariano Alvarez (GMA, 17), Amadeo (14), Alfonso (13), Tagaytay City (12), Maragondon (9), Ternate (7), General Emilio Aguinaldo (5) and Magallanes (2).
From Mar 5-11, the barangays with 3 or more cases include Pasong Camachile I, II and Pinagtipunan in General Trias City; Molino III in Bacoor City, Ibayo Silangan, Balsahan, Kanluran, Halang, San Roque and Bucana Sasahan of Naic; Perez (Lucbanan)and De Ocampo in Trece Martires City, San Antonio I and San Jose I in Noveleta.
Remulla added that the Health Board is of the opinion that prevention through community and home-based clean-ups are most important.
The Provincial Health Office has been conducting a series of monitoring and information dissemination drive to contain risk areas and forewarned local communities.
Efforts to manage the environment to reduce mosquito reproduction and activity of the carrier are also in place, as well as ensuring that the community members do their part to reduce viable breeding areas for mosquitoes to prevent an outbreak. (Gladys Pino/PNA)