ZAMBOANGA CITY – The Zamboanga City Health Office have reported a sudden surge of dengue cases with 71 documented cases just in the first week of July.
City Health Officer Dr. Rodelin Agbulos has attributed the sudden spike in dengue cases to the recent spate of inclement weather and heavy rainfalls.
“Just right after the rain, we have noticed a sudden increase in the number of dengue fever, registering 71 cases in just one week,” Agbulos said.
This development has prompted the CHO to further intensify it dengue monitoring, surveillance, and prevention advocacies which has so far managed to tamp down the number of dengue cases since 2015 began.
Based on CHO data, the number of dengue cases for 2015 is consistently lower compared to the figures documented for 2014. For the month of June, the CHO documented 146 cases, a significant drop versus the 543 cases registered in the same month last year.
For July 2014, a total of 583 cases were registered. For 2015, the first week of July opened with 71 cases.
“This is not a time for us to sit down and relax,” said Agbulos as he requested the local media to inform the public on the prevention and control of dengue fever, and the local barangay chairpersons to implement preventive and anti-dengue measures.
“Our barangay officials know what to do. We expect our barangay officials to take the lead in the clearing and the destruction of the breeding places of mosquitoes in their areas,” added Agbulos.
The villages with high dengue cases are Tetuan (55 cases), Calarian (54), Sta. Maria (54), Pasonanca (48), Tumaga (43), San Roque (33), Santa Catalina (32), Divisoria (31), Tugbungan (30), Putik (28), and Baliwasan (27).
Agbulos said the CHO’s Dengue Control Team immediately responded to reported cases, including a recent case in Camino Nuevo, and conducts search and destroy, and fumigation.
Agbulos further added that the Aedes aegypti mosquito, known vector-carriers of the dengue fever, are now more virulent and able to reach far-flung areas.
“Meaning to say, mas virulent le, ya subi ya disuyu power para pwede bula. They are known as day-biting [mosquitoes] but now they are considered as night-time [mosquitoes]. Maskin denoche, ta morde ya sila,” he explained.
Dengue fever is caused by one of four different, but related viruses and it is spread by the bite of mosquitoes.
Symptoms of dengue fever begin with a sudden high fever, often as high as 105 degrees Fahrenheit and may last up to 7 days after the infection. A flat, red rash may appear over most of the body for 2 to 5 days after the fever starts. A second rash, which looks like measles, appears later in the disease and infected people may have increased skin sensitivity.
Other symptoms include fatigue, headache, muscle and joint pains, nausea and vomiting and swollen lymph nodes. (Jasmine Mohammadsali)
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