Health official: Dengue kills 11 in NCotabato since January

KIDAPAWAN CITY— Dengue has already killed 11 people in North Cotabato after four more victims died of the dreaded mosquito-borne disease in July, a local health official said on Sunday. Provincial Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (PESU) records showed that from January to July, 11 patients believed to be infected by the dengue virus died in several towns of the province. Of the total deaths, seven were recorded last month. Most of the fatalities were children between 2 to 12 years old, said Dr. Hansel Amoguis, PESU in-charge. “Dengue cases in North Cotabato are quite alarming if we are going to compare our data from the past year," Dr. Amoguis said. Recorded dengue deaths were from the towns of Banisilan (4), Arakan (1), Libungan (2), Makilala (1), Pigcawayan (1) and Kidapawan City (2). In 2009, PESU recorded a total of 1, 608 dengue cases with a lone fatality from January to July. But this year the disease already affected 2, 377 which is 46 percent higher compared to the number of cases in the same period last year, Amoguis said. This prompted the provincial government to work double time to prevent the spread of the disease through advocacy campaign. Amoguis urged local government units to encourage community involvement in the cleanup drive to combat the deadly disease. — Williamor Magbanua/LBG, GMANews.TV