By Sheila Covarrubias
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Apr. 18, (PIA) - - City Health Officer Rodel Agbulos has called on the barangays and individual residents to strengthen campaign against dengue fever, a mosquito-borne disease, as he described dengue cases to have reached the alarming level.
Citing records, Agbulos said dengue cases from January 1 to April 15 have reached 502, showing a 50% increase as compared to last year.
Of the total 502 cases reported, 7 were fatal. Areas with high reported dengue cases are the barangays of Tumaga, Tugbungan, San Roque, Tetuan, Guiwan and Sta. Maria.
In 2011, over 200 cases of dengue were reported from January to April with 4 fatalities.
“The dengue situation is at the alarming level but it has not reached the alert or outbreak level”, Agbulos said stressing that the situation can be urgently addressed with intensified cleanliness drives to eliminate breeding places of dengue carrier mosquitoes and stepped up advocacy campaign. “We call on barangay officials to initiate dengue clean-up drives and to mobilize the students under the Special Program for the Employment of Students (SPES) to help in the campaign”.
Agbulos has also instructed doctors, nurses and midwives assigned in the rural health centers to come up with effective campaigns against dengue in their respective areas.
Health records show that dengue is transmitted by the bite of an Aedes mosquito infected with any one of the four dengue viruses. It occurs in tropical and sub-tropical areas of the world. Symptoms appear 3—14 days after the infective bite. Dengue fever affects infants, young children and adults.
Symptoms range from a mild fever, to incapacitating high fever, with severe headache, pain behind the eyes, muscle and joint pain, and rash. There are no specific antiviral medicines for dengue. It is important to maintain hydration. Other signs of dengue fever include bleeding gums, and red palms and soles. (JPA/SC/CIO/PIA 9-ZBST)
