By Gail Momblan/Philippine News Agency
ILOILO CITY — The Iloilo Provincial Health Office (PHO) has encouraged local government officials to help spread information on dengue prevention.
This, after all the 43 towns and component city in the province have recorded a total of 1,846 dengue cases from January 1 to May 18.
The latest PHO data showed that most cases were recorded in Passi City with 181; Pototan, 166; and Concepcion, 117.
In an interview Friday, Dr. Maria Socorro Colmenares-Quiñon, provincial health officer, said the province has lost 10 lives due to dengue during the said period.
Concepcion has four deaths; Bingawan has two; while the towns of Pototan, Santa Barbara, New Lucena, and Banate has one each.
Children aged one to 10 years old are the most affected age group with 934 cases but this does not spare other age groups, as there were also 51 cases recorded that involved children under one year old.
There were also clustering of cases in the towns of Ajuy, Badiangan, Concepcion, Dingle, Dueñas, New Lucena, Pototan, San Enrique, San Miguel, Santa Barbara, and Tigbauan.
Clustering of cases meant three or more dengue cases within the four consecutive week period were recorded, she said.
Quiñon said 312 dengue cases with one death were recorded in the same period last year.
“We have not yet experienced rainy days but we already recorded many cases of dengue. So, maybe with the upcoming rainy days we will have more dengue cases,” she said.
Quiñon noted the role of the local government unit (LGU) in the information dissemination campaign against the disease.
She said some of the LGU officials, who campaigned during the recent mid-term elections can use their communication equipment, like vehicles carrying loud speakers and going around towns, to spread awareness against dengue.
Aside from regular cleanup drives in communities, Quiñon also called on parents and guardians to seek early treatment for children suffering from fever for two or three days.
“Especially when children have abdominal upset, we encourage them to immediately bring the child to Rural Health Units (RHU),” she said.
Admission of dengue patients in RHUs and provincial hospitals observes “no balance billing”, she said.
Quiñon also assured that all provincial hospitals have established dengue fast lanes and patients showing signs of the disease will be immediately given medical attention.
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