ILOILO City – Between Jan. 1 and June 11 this year, Western Visayas logged 3,029 cases of dengue hemorrhagic fever, data from the Department of Health (DOH) showed.
The figure is 241 percent higher than the 889 cases recorded in the same period last year.
Data also showed that the age group with the most number of dengue cases in the region is between one to 10 years old – 38 percent of the total cases.
For Morbidity Week #23 this year (from June 5 to June 11) alone, the region recorded 426 dengue cases.
Negros Occidental has the highest number of cases at 1,161 followed by Antique province with 782 and Iloilo province with 469.
Bacolod City, meanwhile, has 206 cases; Capiz has 172; Aklan has 113 cases; Iloilo City has 94 cases; and Guimaras has the lowest cases at 32.
Deaths due to dengue in the region remain at 23. These are from Iloilo (six), Negros Occidental (six), Antique (four), Bacolod City (four), Aklan (two), and Iloilo City (one).
The provinces of Guimaras and Capiz have no dengue deaths so far.
Dengue viruses are spread to people through the bite of an infected Aedes species (aegypti and albopictus) mosquito.
These mosquitoes typically lay eggs near standing water in containers that hold water, like buckets, bowls, animal dishes, flower pots, and vases.
The most common symptom of dengue is fever with any of the following:
* nausea, vomiting
* rash
* aches and pains (eye pain, typically behind the eyes, muscle, joint, or bone pain)
Immediately seek medical help.
Some people who get sick with dengue will develop severe dengue, which can result in shock, internal bleeding, and even death./PN