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DOH: Dengue is no longer a 'rainy season disease'


(Update) — The Department of Health (DOH) said trends have changed and dengue is no longer just a "rainy season disease" as cases are being reported nationwide throughout the year. "It's not just concentrated in NCR. In fact, it's all over the country," DOH Head Executive Assistant Dr. Yolanda Oliveros said, adding that the DOH is closely watching the dengue fatality rate to make sure it does not double in the coming months. Oliveros said the dengue Case Fatality Rate (CFR) should not be higher than one percent of the total number of dengue cases. The CFR has now reached 328 or .8 percent of the total number of dengue cases in the country which stands at 40,648 as of July 31 this year. "Of course the ideal situation is there are no fatalities, but since we already have cases of patients who died, what we want now is for the case fatality rate to be less than one percent," she said. Iloilo under state of calamity due to dengue Meanwhile, Health Secretary Enrique Ona and the World Health Organization will send teams to Iloilo province in the Western Visayas, which was placed under a state of calamity due to the high number of dengue cases in the area. National Epidemiology Center head Dr. Eric Tayag said on Thursday the teams will assess the situation to see what measures need to be taken there. “Ang aming kalihim ay pupunta sa Iloilo at may WHO (team na) pupunta na rin doon para tingnan ang sitwasyon sa Iloilo (Secretary Ona will go to Iloilo, and a WHO team will likewise go there to look at the dengue situation)," Tayag said in an interview on dwIZ radio. Tayag said the DOH has enough blood supplies for blood transfusion for critically-ill dengue patients. As hospitals in Iloilo have become overcrowded because of the high number of dengue cases, patients were advised to “bring your own beds." At least 12 dengue deaths and 1,670 cases have already recorded in Iloilo as of August 10. The 1,670 cases were 114 percent higher than the number of cases in the same period in 2009. With the declaration of a state of calamity, the province can now use 5 percent of its calamity fund to combat dengue. Highest number of dengue cases During the first seven months of this year, when the country's highest number of dengue cases has been recorded, six regions have already recorded death rates that are higher than one percent: Regions I, II, IV-B, VII, X and Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). In the National Capital Region (NCR), five municipalities have CFRs that are higher than one percent: Marikina, Navotas, Quezon City, Taguig, and Valenzuela. Quezon City, which has the most number of fatalities at 10, has a CFR of 1.3 percent. Valenzuela has the highest CFR at 1.8 percent: out of 221 dengue cases in the area, four patients have died of the disease. Trends have changed Based on data from the previous years, the DOH said the number of cases of dengue usually goes down gradually in the last few months of the year. However, Oliveros said there is no way to be sure because the trends of dengue have changed drastically in the last few months. "The trends have changed. Dengue is no longer just a rainy season disease," she said. Source: Morbidity Week 30, National Epidemiology Center, Department of Health Oliveros also said climate change and people's behavior may have contributed to the rise in the number of dengue cases. She reminded the public that the most cost-effective way to fight dengue is to keep the surroundings clean. She reminded the public that the most cost-effective way to fight dengue is to keep the surroundings clean. "DOH reminds people to 'search and destroy.' Look for the breeding place [of mosquitoes] and try to destroy it. That entails household and community participation." DOH to parents: be vigilant As 78 percent of cases belong to the 1 to 20-years old age bracket, Oliveros reminds parents to be vigilant because the fatality rate is greater than one percent in that age group. "Kung may lagnat ang mga bata o sinuman sa pamilya, huwag baliwalain. Be sure na magpatingin agad to rule out dengue. (If any member of the family has fever, bring him or her immediately to a doctor to rule out the possibility of dengue)," she said. If undiagnosed, dengue could lead to complications like internal bleeding and organ shutdown, and eventually death. "There is what we call a 'fast lane' in hospitals' emergency rooms, so that patients who are suspected to have dengue can be given treatment immediately," she said. Oliveros added that ordinarily, dengue fever is hard to differentiate from flu or other fever-like symptoms. "Precaution lagi ang advice natin. Kung one to two days na fever, tuloy-tuloy, lalu na sa mga kids less than five years old, dalhin na lang sa pinakamalapit na pagamutan (Precaution is always our advice. If the patient has had fever for one or two days, especially for kids less than five years old, bring the patient to the nearest health center)," she said. – VVP, GMANews.TV
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