Alarming cases of dengue in Aklan - PHO
BY BOY RYAN B. ZABAL
Kaso it dengue sa Aklan, nagsaka eon sa 180 - PHO / Bombo Radyo
http://www.bomboradyo.com/index.php/news/regional-news/akeanon/12524-kaso-it-dengue-sa-aklan-nagsaka-eon-sa-180-pho

KALIBO, Aklan - The number of dengue cases is alarming in the province of Aklan as the Provincial Health Office (PHO) already recorded more than 180 cases in the first seven months.

In an interview by RGMA DyRU Super Radyo, Provincial Health Officer II Emma Cortes said the dengue cases in Aklan reached 184 from January 1 to July 27 this year compared to 113 cases from January to December of last year. From January to June, the incidence of dengue registered at 103 while for July alone, the dengue cases posted at 81 cases.

Most cases are from the town of Kalibo with 21 cases for the month of July followed by Numancia with 18, New Washington with 16, Banga with 4, Batan with 3, Makato with 7, Numancia with Malinao, Malay, Altavas and from Antique with two cases and from Balete, Lezo, Libacao and Tangalan with a single dengue case reported.

Based on the PHO's monitoring, almost all municipalities in the province of Aklan have cases of the mosquito-borne disease and severely affecting patients in the barangays where there are many breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

Cortes also urged the public to clean their surroundings of possible breeding places, especially containers, roof gutters, empty cans, flower vases and old tires that could hold the dengue-carrying Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.

"The DOH also advised the public to observe the anti-dengue campaign called the four “S-es”: seek and destroy mosquito breeding places, self-protection, seek medical treatment immediately and say “no” to indiscriminate fogging," she stressed.

Cortes said the cases of dengue have no particular age group and social status and could increase on the onset of rainy season. The provincial government and the local media, she said, are spearheading an intensified anti-dengue drive to increase the public's awareness of the rising incidence of dengue cases in Aklan.