DAGUPAN CITY (PIA) — The Pangasinan Provincial Health Office (PHO) is warning the public about the rising dengue cases especially at the onset of the rainy season.
From January 1 to July 22 this year, the Pangasinan PHO reported 1,111 dengue cases.
Dr. Anna Ma. Teresa De Guzman, head of the Pangasinan PHO, said there is a 20 percent increase in dengue cases in the province compared to the same period last year, with 926 cases.
“Tumaas din ang case fatality rate ngayon. Noong nakaraang taon, ito ay 0.65 porsyento o katumbas ng anim na pagkasawi. Ngayong taon, ito ay 0.72 porsyento o katumbas ng walo na pagkamatay,” she added.
(The case fatality rate has also increased this year. Last year, it was 0.65 percent, equivalent to six fatalities. This year, it is 0.72 percent, equivalent to eight deaths.)
The Pangasinan PHO’s watchlist includes the following areas: Alaminos City, Anda, Aguilar, Bani, Binmaley, Bolinao, Bugallon, Labrador, Lingayen, Mangatarem, Urbiztondo, and Sual due to higher-than-normal incidence of dengue fever.
De Guzman said that Lingayen town has the highest number of dengue cases, with three fatalities recorded this year.
“Ang pinapangambahan namin, tatlo kaagad ang nasawi – isa noong June at dalawa naman nitong July sa bayan ng Lingayen dahil sa dengue. Ang pinakabata ay seven years old at ang pinakamatanda ay 44 years old,” she disclosed.
(What we are concerned about is that there have already been three fatalities – one in June and two in July in the town of Lingayen due to dengue. The youngest was seven years old and the oldest was 44 years old.)
De Guzman is urging residents who experience symptoms such as fever lasting two to seven days, joint and muscle pain, body weakness, rashes, nosebleeds or bleeding gums, occasional abdominal pain, dark-colored urine, or coffee-colored vomit to go immediately to the nearest hospital to prevent serious complications or death.
“Ang kalinisan ng kapaligiran ay isang solusyon sa sakit na tulad nito,” she stressed.
(Maintaining cleanliness in the environment is a solution to illnesses like this.)
She calls for a massive clean-up drive to eradicate mosquito breeding sites.
Key recommendations are regularly emptying and cleaning containers, like buckets and flower pots and cover containers that hold water, such as tanks and barrels, to prevent mosquitoes from laying eggs.
Moreover, De Guzman underscored the effectiveness of fogging and misting in mosquito control efforts.
Fogging, which is recommended for dry days, disperses insecticides in a fine mist to target and eliminate adult mosquitoes in outdoor areas.
Misting, on the other hand, is effective for indoor spaces, using a finer spray to target both adult mosquitoes and larvae.
De Guzman said the Pangasinan PHO is coordinating with the rural health units of the local government to issue directives for inspecting and addressing these critical areas, as their presence indicates adult mosquitoes. (MJTAB/JCDR/PIA Pangasinan)
