DOH confirms chikungunya outbreak in 10 municipalities

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Health (DOH) yesterday confirmed the outbreak of chikungunya, a mosquito-borne disease like dengue, in several communities in 10 towns across the country.

According to DOH Assistant Secretary Dr. Eric Tayag, some residents in these communities were found suffering not only from chikungunya but from dengue as well.

“There are residents who have chikungunya, there are residents who have dengue, and there are residents who have both chikungunya and dengue. There’s no chikungunya in these areas before,” he said in a phone interview.

These villages are found in Kiamba and Maitum in Sarangani; Villareal and Daram in Western Samar; Ma. Aurora in Aurora; Sindangan in Zamboanga del Norte; Sta. Rita in Samar; Concepcion in Romblon; Santiago in Agusan del Norte; and Patnongon in Antique.

Tayag said they are now trying to establish what caused the two mosquito-borne diseases to surface in these areas at the same time.

Tayag could not immediately say how many residents were afflicted in these areas. But he said that from Jan. 1 to June 30 this year, the DOH had registered a total of 2,594 suspected chikungunya cases, but only 157 of them had been confirmed. No deaths were recorded.

According to Tayag, it is a cause for concern if chikungunya will re-emerge now that the dengue season is on primarily because it could cause confusion among health professionals.

During the first five days, he said the two diseases manifest similar symptoms, so doctors might be confused on the medication that should be administered on the patients.

“Both are manifested by rashes. So for the first five days of the illness, it cannot easily be distinguished if it is dengue or chikungunya,” he said.

Tayag added that if chikungunya would continue to spread, doctors might have to be trained on its symptoms and management.

The DOH has observed that chikungunya started to spread after Tropical Storm Sendong hit parts of Mindanao, particularly Cagayan de Oro City and Davao, in 2011.

In Camarines Norte, health officials have monitored up to 302 chikungunya cases in Sta. Elena town.

Dr. Myrna Rojas, provincial health officer, said they have undertaken intervention and comprehensive information dissemination for residents of several barangays in Sta. Elena to clean their surroundings to get rid of mosquito-breeding sites.

In the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, health authorities had recorded seven dengue fatalities from Jan. 1 to July 10 this year, but the region remains free from chikungunya now plaguing surrounding provinces.

Dr. Kadil Sinolinding Jr., regional health secretary, said they have a continuing education campaign in far-flung areas to educate local folk on how to curb the spread of the mosquito-borne diseases.

Meanwhile, a total of 7,632 dengue cases, with 40 deaths, had been reported in Western Visayas from January to June 29 this year, according to the Philippine News Agency.

The number is more than twice the 3,456 dengue cases (with 43 deaths) during the same period last year, it added. – With Francis Elevado, John Unson, Danny Dangcalan