ANTI-DENGUE DRIVE. Due to rising dengue cases, fogging operations are held in various parts of Pangasinan where clustered cases have been observed. Dengue cases rose by 51 percent from Jan. 1 to Aug.5 this year compared to the same period last year. (Screenshot from the Province of Pangasinan's Facebook page)
MALASIQUI, Pangasinan – The Pangasinan Provincial Health Office (PHO) is urging residents for vigilance against dengue as cases posted a 52 percent annual jump, with 14 deaths, as of August 5 this year.
Citing provincial Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit, provincial health officer Dr. Anna Ma. Teresa de Guzman, in a video message on Thursday, said cases jumped from 1,116 cases with seven mortalities from Jan. 1 to Aug. 5, 2023 to 1,695 cases with 14 deaths in the same period this year.
The number of cases this year significantly increased from July 1 to Aug. 5, based on the PHO’s record.
Under monitoring are the towns of Lingayen, Bayambang, Urbiztondo, Bugallon, Binmaley, Mangatarem, Bolinao, Labrador, and San Carlos City due to a recorded high number of patients.
The fatalities were from Binmaley, Natividad, and Urbiztondo towns with one each; San Carlos City, two; Sual, four; and Lingayen, five.
The youngest victim is an eight-month-old female from San Carlos City and the oldest is a 56-year-old male from Natividad.
“We are appealing to our province mates, especially to the barangay officials, to intensify the 4S drive,” de Guzman said in Filipino.
4S is the Department of Health’s program aimed at addressing the proliferation of dengue-carrying mosquitoes and stands for search and destroy mosquito-breeding sites, seek early consultation, self-protection measures, and support spraying or fogging in areas with clustered cases.
De Guzman said the PHO, together with the 14 provincial government-run hospitals, has further intensified its preparedness, prevention, mitigating measures, and health campaign, particularly on the 4S.
Dengue insecticides were also provided for fogging and misting, she said.
De Guzman said donating blood this time of the year is timely as PHO monitors the effects and complications of dengue fever to the patients.
She said PHO has collected 3,691 units of blood from its mobile blood donation activities and through walk-in voluntary donations in the provincial government-run hospitals from Jan. 1 to July 24 this year.
Of the total, 2,148 blood units were from mobile blood donation drives and 1,543 from walk-ins in the hospitals, she said. (PNA)
