ZAMBOANGA CITY -- The City Government, through the City Health Office, has declared a dengue outbreak in this southern port city.
The declaration was made as the number of dengue cases from January 1 up to the first week of May this year has increased by 413, or more than 50 percent compared to the number of cases recorded in the same period of last year.
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There were a total of 361 dengue cases recorded in the same period in 2011, but the cases reached 774 this year, said City Health Officer Dr. Rodelin Agbulos.
He said they have recorded 10 deaths out of the 774 cases.
Last year, he said, they only recorded four deaths.
Agbulos also said that five villages in the city have registered high number of dengue cases. These areas include Tumaga, with 63 cases; Tugbungan, 57; Guiwan, 51; San Roque, 47; and Canelar, 31.
The other hard-hit villages are Zambowood, Cabatangan, Sta. Maria, Putik, Mercedes, Sangali, Maasin, Divisoria, Pasobolong, Lumbangan, Rio Hondo and Tetuan.
Agbulos noted that the villages with high number of dengue cases usually have rivers and cemeteries that serve as breeding sites of dengue-carrying mosquitoes.
To combat the disease, Agbulos said the City Health Office has scheduled a citywide clean-up drive on Saturday as part of the City Government’s campaign against dengue.
In view of this, Mayor Celso Lobregat has authorized the release of over half a million pesos from the City Government’s emergency funds to purchase larvicides and other chemicals that will be used in the war against the mosquito-borne disease.
The City Health Office is set to carry out a comprehensive plan in cooperation with the villages, other health agencies and facilities, especially the community, to ensure an effective and efficient anti-dengue campaign.
Dengue fever is an infection caused by dengue virus, which is transmitted to humans through the bites of an infective female Aedes mosquito.
Aedes mosquitoes are “day biters” and biting activities peak at 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. and at 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
The signs and symptoms of dengue fever are: on-and-off fever lasting for two to seven days; loss of appetite; nausea/vomiting; abdominal pain; body weakness; small reddish spots on chest area, arms and legs; bleeding signs (nose and gum bleeding, vomiting blood, bloody stools and abdominal pain); restlessness; weak, rapid pulse; cold, clammy skin; and difficulty in breathing. (Bong Garcia/Sunnex)
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