BACOLOD CITY — Dengue cases in this city decreased by 33.3 percent in the first 10 weeks this year compared to the cases recorded during the same period in 2017, records of City Health Office (CHO) showed.
Dr. Grace Tan, head of the CHO Environment Sanitation Division, said on Wednesday they listed 144 cases with one death from January 1 to March 10 this year compared to last year’s 216 cases with two deaths during the same period.
Tan said that based on the previous years’ data, cases usually decrease during summer and increase towards the rainy season.
She reiterated the need to practice “4S” to counter dengue. It refers to “Search and destroy mosquito breeding places; Self-protection measures; Seek early consultation for fever lasting more than two days; and Say no to indiscriminate fogging”.
As the CHO continues to conduct its dengue awareness campaign, Tan stressed the importance of maintaining clean surroundings as a preventive measure against dengue.
This should be the main thrust of everybody, she added.
CHO records showed the village with the highest dengue cases is Sum-ag with 16, which also includes the lone death reported during the period January 1 to March 10.
Moreover, Tan encouraged patients in Bacolod who were given Dengvaxia vaccines by private physicians to inform the CHO about their cases for monitoring purposes.
Initially, the City Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit has recorded 19 individuals, mostly students, who have been immunized of the anti-dengue vaccine, she said.
Tan said the CHO needs information on their health status, including the total doses they received and where they obtained the vaccines.
“So far, we have no hospital admissions secondary to Dengvaxia. We are encouraging them to disclose to the CHO if they have history of immunization so they can be accounted for,” Tan said.(Nanette Guadalquiver/PNA)
