Soccsksargen registers 151% spike in dengue cases

COTABATO CITY – The Department of Health in Region 12 (Soccsksargen) has recorded a 151 percent increase in dengue cases, with 42 deaths for the first six months of this year.

Jenny Ventura Panizales, DOH-12 focal person for dengue and measles prevention program, said that the number of dengue patients increased to 9,363 from January 1 to July 6 this year, compared to 3, 727 cases in the same period in 2018.

“The figure is 151 percent higher compared to that of last year and this is quite alarming for the Soccsksargen area,” she said over DXMY radio station here Wednesday.

Panizales said South Cotabato recorded 15 dengue fatalities; North Cotabato (14); Sultan Kudarat (8); Sarangani (3); and one each for the cities of Cotabato and General Santos.

She said the youngest dengue fatality was a two-month-old baby while the oldest was 97 years old.

Meanwhile, the province of North Cotabato listed the highest number of dengue cases at 3, 314; followed by South Cotabato (2,976); Sultan Kudarat (1,281); Sarangani (869); General Santos (535); and Cotabato City (388).

Panizales has urged the public to continue practicing the 4S strategy: search and destroy mosquito breeding places, secure self-protection, seek early consultation, and support fogging/ spraying operation in dengue hotspot areas to prevent the spread of the disease.

“Cleanliness of our environment is still the best approach to get rid of dengue-carrying mosquitoes,” she said. (PNA)

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https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1075166
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