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Dengue continues in Davao, Cotabato
KIDAPAWAN CITY – Dengue continues to sweep across North Cotabato and Davao del Sur with health authorities seeing no immediate relief from the disease.
In fact, health authorities said the number of patients continued to rise, with over 3,000 in the two adjoining provinces.
In North Cotabato alone, four more patients died as of July 31, which brought to 11 the total number of patients succumbing to the mosquito-borne disease since January.
Fatalities
“Most of the fatalities were children aged two to 12 years old,” Dr. Hansel Amoguis, in-charge of the Provincial Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (Pesu), said.
Amoguis said the deaths were recorded in the towns of Banisilan, Arakan, Libungan, Makilala, Pigcawayan and this city.
Amoguis said the number of the dengue cases during the first seven months of the year was alarming as it has surpassed the 1,608 cases recorded for the whole of 2009.
No medicine
“This year, the disease already affected 2,377,” he said.
Amoguis said there was nearly a 50 percent increase in the dengue cases when compared to last year’s.
He said health officials had repeatedly warned that no medicine can combat dengue, a form of virus that resides in some species of day-biting mosquitoes.
Amoguis said residents were told that the only way to stop dengue was to clean their surroundings.
In Davao del Sur, the provincial health office said dengue cases also rose to 844 as July ended.
State of calamity
Dr. Azucena Dayanghirang, provincial health officer, said they were closely working with village officials to eradicate mosquito breeding places.
Davao del Sur has been under a state of calamity because of the rising number of dengue cases.
The provincial government has also offered financial assistance to relatives of dengue patients.
Dayanghirang agreed that dengue has no cure and that the survival of the patient depended on early clinical diagnosis and careful clinical management by experienced physicians and nurses.
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