6-year-old from Rizal province latest dengue fatality

A six-year-old, dengue-stricken girl from Cainta town in Rizal province died in a hospital in Quezon City Wednesday night. One of the latest fatalities of the deadly disease, the girl died at 8:18 p.m. in the pediatric ICU ward of the Quirino Memorial Medical Center (QMMC), radio dzBB's Allan Gatus reported early Thursday. QMMC director Dra. Angeles de Leon did not name the girl, who she said was brought to the hospital already in critical condition at 12:05 a.m. Wednesday. De Leon said the hospital staff did everything possible to save the girl, who she said had been suffering from fever for three days before she was brought to the hospital. The dzBB report said the girl was first brought to a private hospital in Taytay in Rizal before being brought to the QMMC. At the time, she complained of stomach pains and vomiting, the report added. A separate report on dzBB said the QMMC is now handling at least 106 dengue cases, including 13 children brought there in the last 24 hours – the last at 4 a.m. Thursday. Five children are now at the pediatric ICU, the report added. At least 226 deaths Data from the World Health Organization's Western Pacific Regional Office showed that as of the week ending August 6, the Philippines has recorded 38,876 cases. Of these, there have been 226 deaths, "with higher activity in June 2011 relative to May 2011." It added Metro Manila, Central Luzon, Southern Luzon and Ilocos had reported the greatest number of cases. Dr. Lyndon Lee Suy, Health Department program manager for emerging and reemerging infectious diseases, said that while there is no dengue epidemic yet, there is a need for a sense of shared community responsibility in the fight against the disease. "Hanggang hindi nagkakaroon ng ganoong klaseng realization na dapat may shared responsibility mahirapan tayo," he said in an interview on dwIZ radio. Meanwhile, the Quezon City government released P50,000 for additional folding beds and electric fans for the QMMC. City mayor Herbert Bautista said the amount would be used to buy 30 folding beds and 10 electric fans, dzBB reported. As of Thursday, the dzBB report said at least 237 patients are staying at the QMMC's pediatrics ward, many of them due to dengue. The city government has also ordered preventive fogging in dengue-vulnerable areas, the report said.— LBG, GMA News