Dengue cases rising in Aklan, three deaths from January to July
BY BOY RYAN B. ZABAL

KALIBO, Aklan – The Provincial Health Office (PHO) has intensified its surveillance monitoring system across the province of Aklan of the alarming dengue cases.
Provincial Health Officer II Dr. Emma Cortes said the PHO will trackdown and monitor the cases of dengue-carrying mosquito in the barangays for entomological detection by the program coordinator.
PHO Aklan alarmed the public of the rising cases of dengue, which reached 292 cases from January to July and of this number, three cases led to death due to incidence of dengue.
To mitigate the rising dengue cases, the PHO has stepped up the campaign on dengue control and prevention during the rainy season against the mosquito-borne disease.
Cortes urged the public to practice the 4-S to fight dengue such as search and destroy breeding places; self protection measures; seek early consultation and say NO to indiscriminate fogging
“Another program of PHO is the close coordination with the Municipal Health Office and the Rural Sanitation Inspector, especially in the environmental sanitation. The community and the Philippine National Red Cross will also be involved in the anti-dengue campaign together with the health workers,” said Cortes in the weekly Governor’s Report to the People.
Supervising Sanitary Inspector Roger Debuque, also PHO dengue control program manager, said the 292 cases are all over the province of Aklan, notably, the town of Kalibo which had the biggest number of dengue with 81 cases or 35 percent followed by Numancia with 36 cases or 16 percent, New Washington (26), Banga (16), Batan (15) and Makato with 12 cases.
Aklan Governor Carlito Marquez, for his part, stressed that, “there is a need to mobilize the communities to clean the surroundings and to get rid of the dengue cases in all age groups.”
Dengue is an acute infectious viral disease usually affecting infants and young children characterized by the sudden onset of high fever which may last two to nine days; pain in the joints, muscles and behind the eyes; weakness; red tiny spots on the skin called petechia; nosebleeds when the fever starts to subside; coffee-colored vomit; and dark-colored stool.