Boy, 4, latest dengue fatality

CEBU, Philippines - A four-year-old boy in barangay Talamban became the latest dengue casualty, bringing the total number of deaths in the city to 11 for the first half of this year.

Durinda Macasucol, assistant chief of the City Epidemiology Statistics and Surveillance Unit of the City Health Department, said the boy died last June 22, a month after the tenth dengue death was recorded.

According to the dengue report presented by councilor Gerardo Carillo, 381 cases have been reported from January 1 to June 20 of this year.

The said number is 41.65 percent lower compared to the same period last year which had 653 cases and 29 deaths.

Most of those affected are males with the age range of six months to 50 years old.

Barangay Kamputhaw leads the barangay with the most number of dengue cases followed by barangays Labangon, Guadalupe, Lorega and Tisa respectively.

For this month the said department continued with cleanup drives, sitio based and school-based pulong-pulong, fever surveillance in barangay centers and listing of blood types.

The city conducts free CBC platelet counting in seven satellite laboratories for early detection of dengue fever.

These are found in the health centers of Barangays Talamban, Luz, Mabolo, Pari-an, Poblacion Pardo, Punta Princesa and Guadalupe.

At the Cebu City Medical Center, the health department has set up a Dengue Fast Lane and Dengue Ward.

Records from the Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit 7, a total of 719 dengue cases and13 deaths were recorded in Central Visayas from January to April 25.

It was reported that despite the drop in the number of cases, Cebu City still tops the list of having the most number of reported dengue cases in Central Visayas. — Ferliza C. Contratista/BRP (THE FREEMAN)