By Francis Allan L. Angelo
HEALTH officials in Iloilo have sounded the alarm on dengue fever after more than 200 cases were recorded despite the dry spell brought about by the El Niño phenomenon.
Board Member Macario Napulan, committee on health chairman in the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, said they are wondering why dengue continues to surge in the province despite the dry season.
Napulan said dengue usually peaks during rainy season as dengue-carrying mosquitoes can breed faster in clean stagnant water.
Dengue is also usually rampant in the lowlands but the four dengue cases recorded in a mountainous village of Tubungan breaks this conventional notion.
Napulan said they suspect the aedes aegypti mosquito, which carries the dengue strain, breeds in water containers in households.
“People are storing large amounts of water in containers because of the water shortage and hot summer. Maybe mosquitoes find their way inside these containers and breed, resulting in sudden surge of dengue fever,” Napulan said.
Napulan said he has advised the provincial health office to warn and inform the public about preventive measures against the spread of dengue fever.
Data from the Department of Health (DOH-6) showed that a total of 231 with 2 deaths were recorded in Iloilo province.
Dengue cases in Iloilo City numbered 126, Negros Occidental 380 including 2 deaths, Bacolod City 266, Capiz 194, Aklan 79 cases with 1 death, Guimaras 16 and Antique 12.
Health officials stressed cleanliness and destruction of breeding places of mosquitoes as two main measures against dengue.
No comments:
Post a Comment