By: Jojo Mangahis
South Cotabato, Zamboanga Sibugay and Cavite provinces were declared under the state of calamity after reported cases of dengue from January 1 to July 13, 2019 reached alarming proportions.
In South Cotabato, three municipalities, namely Surallah, Tantangan, and Norala, were declared under a state of calamity after reporting 3,347 dengue cases posted which is 149% higher compared to 1,344 cases reported for the same period in 2018.
Meanwhile in Zamboanga Sibugay province, dengue cases spiked from only 126 to a mind-boggling 2,885 cases, as reported by Dr. Joshua Brilliantes, assistant regional director of the Department of Health-Zamboanga.
Towns affected are Ipil, Diplahan, Buug, Payao, Roseller Lim, Kabasalan, Alicia, Titay, Naga and Siay,
In Cavite, a dengue outbreak has been declared in at least two cities and six municipalities, with 3,605 cases and 18 deaths.
Affected cities are Dasmariñas and General Trias, and the municipalities of Alfonso, Carmona, General Mariano Alvarez, Indang, Naic and Silang.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III recently raised the national dengue alert so public hospitals, health centers, and local government units are expected to be ready with medicine, equipment and personnel to address dengue cases that may be referred to them.
Spread by the Aedes Aegypti mosquitoes, dengue is the world’s fastest-growing infectious disease that could trigger life-threatening infections and usually claims the lives of children. (Jojo Mangahis)