Dengue cases reach 5K in Cebu this year

The Provincial Health Office initially recorded over 5,000 cases of dengue in Cebu for this year.

The figure is more than 2017’s 4,900 cases. However, there were fewer deaths this year compared to last year.

According to the office’s initial tally, since the year has not ended, there have been 5,093 dengue cases from January to the middle of this month. Over the same period last year, there were only 4,914 cases.

The number of cases surged during the last few months of the year. In September, 745 people were recorded to have suffered from dengue. The number rose to 878 in October and 855 in November. This month, there have been 687 dengue cases so far.

Tardy Guardiario, the dengue program coordinator of the Provincial Health Office, inferred that the surge in the number of cases during the last few months was due to the rainy season. The Aedes aegypti, which carries the dengue virus, thrives on stagnant water.

Despite the increase in the number of dengue cases, the health office noted that there were fewer deaths this year. In 2017, 45 people were recorded to have died from dengue. This year, there were only 25 deaths recorded so far.

Among the areas with the most dengue cases are Talisay City, City of Naga, Toledo City, Liloan and Carcar City.

Guardiario said people still need to be more pro-active in cleaning their surroundings in order to protect themselves from the potentially fatal disease. It is important that there will be no more breeding areas of the dengue carrier in the environment.