Dengue cases up in Isabela

ILAGAN, Isabela, Philippines – Some 17 residents of a village here have been downed by dengue fever in less than two weeks, raising fears of a possible outbreak of the dreaded disease in the area.

The dengue incidents in Cordon town here came as cases of persons afflicted with dengue in Cagayan Valley continue to rise, even surpassing the number of cases last year by more than 10 percent.

The Department of Health said the dengue victims, ranging from 36 years old to as young as nine months old, were all from Sitio Kawakan, Capirpiriwan, Cordon town, which is now being closely monitored for possible dengue epidemic.

Village officials suspect that a fishpond in the area has been the cause of the sudden outbreak of the hemorrhagic fever incidents there, it being one of the breeding sources of mosquitoes, especially the dengue-carrying Aedes aegypti species.

“The barangay council (of Capirpiriwan) is doing everything to prevent the spread of the disease including covering up this fishpond if necessary, to deprive the mosquitoes of their major breeding grounds,” said barangay chairman Rosendo Cayaban. 

Likewise, the Cordon town government is now conducting measures to prevent the outbreak of the disease in the village and other nearby areas, including disinfecting all possible mosquito breeding grounds with chemicals.

Moreover, latest reports showed that there are already at least 395 dengue victims in the region in the last six months, or from January to date, which is 14 percent higher compared to the same period last year.

According to Dr. Lydia Depra-Ramos, DOH director for Cagayan Valley, they expect more incidents of dengue in the region amid the onset of the rainy season wherein the said illness is more prevalent.

Cagayan and Isabela reportedly have almost equal number of dengue cases among the five provinces of the region, followed by Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino.

“We are paying attention to dengue cases because it’s getting higher, equally as we are also paying attention to the A(H1N1) virus,” said Ramos, who also calls on the creation of dengue express lanes in the region’s government and private hospitals to prevent the infection of other patients inside their premises.