Dengue cases in Cebu City up 39%

2/7/10 - Dengue cases in Cebu City rose by 39 percent in January this year to 146 cases compared to 105 cases in the same period last year, city health authorities said yesterday.Two fatalities - one from barangay Pardo and one from barangay Tejero- were reported during the period.The Cebu City health department reported that Sitio Banawa of barangay Guadalupe had the most number of dengue cases at 10. It was followed by barangays Bacayan, Labangon, Sambag 1, Pardo, Budlaan, Guadalupe proper, Pahina Central, Basak Pardo, Kamputhaw, Punta Princessa, Mambaling, Tisa, and Poblacion Pardo which had five to seven cases.Six barangays recorded four cases, while another seven barangays had three cases each and 10 among the 80 barangays of Cebu City had two cases of dengue. About 18 other barangays recorded single dengue cases, officials added. Dr. Ilya Tac-an, City Epidemiologist said if community involvement in cleanliness drive against dengue was sustained, dengue cases in Cebu City would not be a problem anymore.Dr. Tac-an said the anti-dengue drive was intensified in all barangays. But despite the massive information drive, the number of dengue cases has increased.City health officials however said the case facility rate (CFR) was still lower than last year in a report to the City Council by the City Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (CESU). For Jan. 1 to 30 this year, two fatalities out of 146 dengue cases translated to a 1.36 case facility rate (CFR) compared to last year's whi ch had three fatalities out of 105 cases or translated to a 2.85 CFR figure.According to the report, most of those affected were males who accounted for 56.8 percent of the total cases. By age, the affected patients ranged from four-month-old to 55 years old.But Tac-an clarified that this did not mean that males were more prone to dengue, saying it was the environment where they were exposed. Tac-an said that to avoid fatalities in dengue cases, a fever surveillance would be intensified. Parents are encouraged to bring their children to barangay health centers every time their children have fever.Cebu City health centers are offering free complete blood counts (CBC) and platelets counts, said Tac-an

(Inquirer)