Dengue downs 16 kids in La Union

SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union — Sixteen children, mostly within the 0-15 age bracket, suffered high fever brought on by day-biting mosquitoes, the city health office here, headed by Dr. Eduardo Posadas, said.

Data showed that the coastal barangay of Catbangen, where a four-year-old child died last year due to dengue hemorrhagic fever, has the highest number of victims this year with six new cases.

Last year, 257 dengue cases were reported here with two deaths — a four-year-old in Catbangen and a one-year-old in Barangay Biday. Barangay Sevilla has the most number of victims in 2005 with 29 cases.

The city health office here has started fogging operations in various schools in preparation for the opening of classes next month. Fogging would destroy breeding places of day-biting mosquitoes which causes dengue fever.