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CEBU CITY, Philippines - With the rains come back-to-school preparations and a heightened risk of dengue.
But health officials in Cebu City are worried that even before the month of June, the number of residents falling ill and dying of mosquito-borne dengue has grown bigger than last year?s record.
There is a 154.77 percent increase in dengue cases noted between Jan. 1 and May 31 this year, compared to the same period in 2007, said Dorinda Macasucol, assistant epidemiologist of the City Health Office.
Most of the victims were young children.
Cebu City had 614 dengue cases with 22 deaths for the first half of the year which surpassed the same period in 2007, when the City Health Office recorded 241 cases and only three deaths.
?We still have an outbreak so we are conducting massive mist spraying. We do this for two consecutive days in one barangay,? Macasucol told .
Barangay Guadalupe has the highest number of cases at 39 with three deaths.
This is followed by Inayawan with 35 cases and one death, and Labangon with 33 cases and no deaths.
Despite wide publicity about the dengue scourge and reminders to clean up surroundings to remove stagnant pools of water, dengue has become a year-round health threat, and is no longer considered a rainy-season trend, said health officials.
Dengue fever is spread through the bite of the Aedes aegypti mosquitoes usually after dawn and just before sunset. The mosquito breeds in clean, stagnant water.
Symptoms include a sudden fever with severe headache, pain of the muscles and joints, and sometimes, skin rashes.
?The more rain we will experience, the more dengue cases we will have,? said Vice Mayor Michael Rama during a recent city council session.
?Dengue is more than a terrorism matter.?
The highest incidence of dengue was reported in January, but fewer cases were reported as months went on, said Macasucol, citing figures of the city?s epidemiology office:
January (219 cases), February (156 cases), March (96), April (76) and May (67 cases).
CEBU PROVINCE
In Cebu province, the Provincial Health Office (PHO) also recorded a high number of 842 cases and 22 fatalities.
?Taas kaayo ni (This is a high number),? said nurse Rose Jao.
?It is not even June or July, the period we usually expect a high number of dengue cases.?
There was no comparative data on hand for the same period last year.
The top five five Cebu towns or cities with the most number of dengue cases are:
1. Talisay City (118 cases and three deaths)
2. Toledo City (69 cases and two deaths)
3. Minglanilla (68 cases and no deaths)
4. Naga City (57 dengue cases and one death)
5. Consolacion town (56 cases and four deaths)
Last year, a dengue outbreak was declared in six barangays in Minglanilla town in south Cebu . Six people died and 54 others fell ill between January and June 2007.
?There are some parts of Minglanilla where water accumulates,? said Jao, who said the town has become endemic for dengue.
Health workers are focusing on ?misting? potential mosquito breedings sites as part of site control and management, said Jao.
?Misting? involves water-based chemical sprays which are cheaper and readily available in the towns.
In Cebu City, Macasucol said the Cebu City health office has sprayed areas in 40 barangays .
Misting operations are scheduled in Sambag II today and in Camputhaw on June 10.
The Provincial Health Office is also conducting ?fever surveillance? and encouraging parents to bring their children to the nearest health center at the first sign of fever.
In Cebu City, the disaster coordinating council is starting to drain and suction sites of stagnant water.
Macasucol said drainage and suction of stagnant waters was ongoing in Labangon and in the White Gold construction area.
Mambaling, where clogged drainage has submerged three sitios in stagnant water, was also scheduled for draining but the work crew still has to get permission from the owner of the private-owned lot to enter the premises, she said.
An information campaign and community cleanups are also going on.
Dengue target: crowded city population.
Cebu City?s dense population is a factor for the high number of dengue cases, said Cebu City Councilor Gerardo Carillo.
Two weeks ago, the City Health Office?s list of top five dengue-prone barangays showed:
1.Guadalupe (36 cases with 3 deaths)
2.Inayawan (35 cases with one death)
3.Talamaban and Tisa (30 cases and three deaths)
4.Labangon (32 cases), and
5.Mabolo (28 cases).
A suggestion was made to show the statistics based on the population of a barangay but councilor Rodrigo Abellanosa said this was irrelevant.
?Life is valuable and each dengue cases should be treated equally. The number of population would not matter,? Abellanosa said.
Councilor Carillo presented a separate ranking of dengue cases in ratio to the population of a barangay.
His listing showed the top five Cebu City barangays as:
1.Kamagayan (1.83)
2.Mabini (1.82)
3.Budlaan (1.81)
4.Cogon Pardo (1.71), and
5.Inayawan (1.61).
The data should be validated to trace the origin of dengue cases, said Councilor Cristopher Alix, who noted that some registered voters in the mountain barangays who are working and living in the city go to the health center in the uplands if they get sick with dengue.
