In 8 months: Dengue kills 23 Negrenses

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines - A total of 23 people in Negros Occidental have died of dengue within a period of eight months this year.

The Provincial Health Office (PHO) reported last Friday that, from January 1 to August 31 this year, there were 17 dengue deaths across the province, while the Bacolod City Health Office reported separately of six fatalities, including a 4-year-old boy as the latest victim.

The 17 deaths from dengue came from the cities of Talisay, Victorias, and Sagay and the town of Murcia, with two each, the cities of Bago, Silay, San Carlos, Himamaylan, San Carlos, and Sipalay, and the towns of Binalbagan, E. B. Magalona, San Enrique and Calatrava, with one each.

The PHO said that, in the same period, a total of 4,953 dengue cases were recorded, or 577 percent higher than the number of cases in the same period last year, which were only 586 cases with six deaths.

The latest PHO report showed Bago City had the most number of dengue cases at 476, followed by Silay City with 473, Talisay City (469), Victorias City (361), San Carlos City (309), La Carlota City (282), Kabankalan City (250), Binalbagan (227), Escalante City (184) and Himamaylan City (169).

Other areas hit by dengue are: E.B. Magalona town with 156 cases, Manapla (149), Isabela (146), Murcia (134), Pontevedra (106), Hinigaran (99), Cadiz City (98), Cauayan (96), La Castellana (84), Pulupandan (84), San Enrique (81), Moises Padilla (76), Sagay City (75), Calatrava (74), Ilog (69), Valladolid (68), Hinobaan (59), Toboso (43), Don Salvador Benedicto (26), Sipalay City (25) and Candoni (5).

In Bacolod, the BCHO reported that from January 1 to August 6 this year, 2,729 dengue cases were recorded, or 77 percent higher than that of the same period last year. (FREEMAN)