EDITORIAL - The lurking danger

Likely sidelined by the more infamous virus called COVID-19 which is still rampaging abroad, dengue is again making its presence felt in Cebu City.

According to city health officials, the number of dengue cases here rose significantly in the first five months of 2022 compared to the same period in 2021, that’s 422 dengue cases compared to last year’s merely 36 cases.

Thirteen death have already been reported so far, most of them individuals below 15 years old.

While those who got sick with COVID-19 may not be sure from whom they got it and how exactly, we know precisely what spreads dengue and how; the aedes aegypti mosquito and its deadly bite.

Unlike with COVID-19, chances are better of nipping any dengue risks in the bud because we can specifically target where the mosquito breeds. Anyone who has paid attention in school or to those commercials knows where to look; any and all places that hold stagnant water.

Also unlike with COVID-19, we can easily swat, zap, smack, suffocate, and exterminate the spreaders of dengue.

It would help to be more vigilant against dengue since according to PAGASA, the rainy season has already begun and will soon start affecting Metro Manila and parts of the Visayas.

Of course, with rain comes more chances for stagnant water to collect in those places that are easily overlooked. And that gives mosquitoes the chance to breed and spread the deadly virus.

We cannot afford to underestimate dengue. While COVID-19 proved to quickly become evident in some people with its multiple symptoms, dengue is more of a lurker; often manifesting as a common fever. In many cases it was found to be dengue already too late for some patients. This is what makes it even more dangerous and deadly than COVID-19.