No dengue outbreak in Pangasinan

DAGUPAN CITY — Don’t panic.

Thus said Dr. Eduardo Janairo, regional director of the Department of Health (DOH), as he clarified that there is no dengue outbreak in Pangasinan, contrary to a television news report that quoted another health official.

In a statement, Janairo said the newscast last Tuesday quoted Dr. George Calugay, leader of the DOH provincial health center, as claiming that there is an outbreak of dengue fever in Pangasinan.

The TV report sowed panic in the province, even prompting provincial health officials to hold an emergency meeting.

According to Janairo, the data, which Calugay used, were not verified with the DOH regional office.

He said the Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (RESU) of the DOH Center for Health Development in Region 1 verified the information with Calugay yesterday.

Janairo said Calugay had cited 466 dengue cases from January to July 15 this year from both government and private hospitals.

However, the data which Calugay apparently used for comparison with the same period last year — 251 cases — came from the RESU but only represented those from government hospitals, Janairo said.

"We could not say outright that there is an increase in the number of cases to warrant a declaration of an outbreak," he said.

"It is understandable that there would be more cases in the report where there were more institutions contributing. Also, the 466 cases are ‘suspect’ and still have to be confirmed," he added.

Janairo gave assurance that the DOH-Region 1 office, through the RESU, is still investigating the matter and a report will be issued soon.

He said the DOH provincial health team, in cooperation with local officials and health units, has been conducting fogging operations in various municipalities since the start of the year to control the spread of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes which carry the dengue virus.

Symptoms of dengue include fever for five to six days after a mosquito bite, high fever, severe headache, pain in the retro-orbital area (behind the eye), severe joint and muscle pain, nausea, and vomiting. — With Cesar Ramirez