ROXAS City — The fight against dengue hemorrhagic fever should not wane, according to a Capiz health official.
Cases of dengue in the province may have declined, but Capiceños must keep their guards up, said Joeffry Espiritu, Provincial Health Office (PHO) information officer.
Espiritu said being complacent is not an option, as dengue is now a year-round disease.
To sustain the decrease in dengue cases, the public should continue to “destroy potential breeding places of dengue-carrying mosquitoes,” he said.
Cleanup activities and the application of the anti-dengue strategy 4S must also be sustained, Espiritu said.
4S stands for Search and destroy, Self-protection measure, Seek early consultation and Say no to indiscriminate fogging.
Records from PHO showed that dengue cases in the province from January to May this year decreased by 33 percent.
There were only 456 dengue cases recorded during the said period this year, the PHO said.
Of the number, 442 were from Capiz while 14 were patients from neighboring provinces but were confined in hospitals in Capiz.
One death, however, was recorded from among the cases so far: from Brgy. Sibaguan in this capital city.
Espiritu also advised the public to take extra precaution against the dreaded disease, especially at the onset of the rainy season.
Making the situation worse is climate change — the frequency of rain was altered, practically making the entire year conducive for breeding among dengue-carrying mosquitoes — according to Espiritu.
Dengue hemorrhagic fever is a mosquito-borne tropical disease caused by the dengue virus.
Among its symptoms are fever, headache, muscle and joint pains, and a characteristic skin rash similar to measles.
Other more serious symptoms include bleeding, low levels of blood platelets and blood plasma leakage.
The dengue virus is commonly transmitted through bites by mosquito species Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. (With a report from Philippine Information Agency/PN)
