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Surge in dengue cases strains W. Visayas hospitals
ILOILO CITY, Philippines—Hospitals in Western Visayas have reported a severe shortage of beds and rooms due to the continued increase in the incidence of dengue hemorrhagic fever in the region.
There has been no vacancies in both private and public hospitals for the past two weeks because of the surge in dengue cases, said Dr. Ramon Guerra, chief of the West Visayas State University Medical Center, in a telephone interview on Tuesday.
Guerra said patients, mostly children, have flooded the 300-bed hospital, waiting to be admitted for treatment.
"The parents of children suspected of suffering from dengue fever... have refused to bring their children home from the emergency rooms so they can avail themselves of medical assistance anytime," Guerra said.
The hospital has activated a special "fast-lane" and holding area for suspected dengue cases.
Private hospitals also reported having reached their full capacities because of the large number of dengue patients.
Liezel Palabrica, officer-in-charge of the Iloilo Mission Hospital, said some wards have been converted into exclusive dengue wards to accommodate the patients.
"Our rooms and beds have been occupied since last month and many patients are still waiting for rooms to be vacated," Palabrica said on Tuesday.
Western Visayas has the second-highest number of dengue cases nationwide, next to Central Mindanao, according to health officials.
Since the start of the year, the number of dengue cases in the region reached 5,909 as of July 31, more than double (122 percent) the 2,616 cases reported in same period last year, according to data from the Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit of the Department of Health in Western Visayas.
The number of reported cases includes at least 35 deaths, lower than the 44 reported in the same period last year.
"The trends and reports show that there are pockets of epidemics and outbreaks but these are only confined to some or several barangays and not the entire region," regional epidemiologist Dr. Jessie Glen Alonsabe told the Inquirer in a telephone interview on Monday.
The most cases were reported in Negros Occidental with 2,460, followed by Iloilo (1,710), Capiz (1,250), Aklan (269), Antique (104) and Guimaras (81).
The most deaths were also reported in Negros Occidental with 17, followed by Iloilo and Capiz with eight each and Aklan and Antique with one each.
The Center for Health Development in Western Visayas identified 20 barangays in Negros Occidental and Capiz as dengue "hotspots" because the number of cases has continued to rise in the last four weeks.
Capiz province earlier declared under a state of calamity due to the outbreak.
The Provincial Disaster Reduction and Management Council of Iloilo and Gov. Arthur Defensor on Tuesday asked the provincial board to declare the province a calamity area.
Provincial Administrator Raul Banias said declaring the province under a state of calamity would enable the provincial government to release funds for medicine and mobilize more health personnel to address the outbreak.
"Hospitals are way, way beyond their capacity to accommodate patients and the sheer number of cases is straining resources and personnel," Banias told the Inquirer on Tuesday.
Health officials have called on the community and the local government units to step up efforts and campaigns against the dengue fever, especially focused on clean-up drives to rid their surroundings of breeding grounds for dengue-carrying mosquitoes.
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