Dengue outbreak declared in Surigao del Norte

BUTUAN CITY, Philippines — Surigao del Norte has declared a dengue outbreak after thousands of people were reported to be infected by the mosquito-borne disease since the start of the year, leading to two deaths.

Gov. Francisco Matugas, who issued an executive order released last Tuesday, said the declaration would make Surigao del Norte’s calamity fund available to address the dengue menace.

At least 1,174 dengue cases were recorded from Jan. 1 to Aug. 14 in the 20 towns of the province and the capital city of Surigao, with two deaths reported, according to data from the provincial health office.

For the same period last year, there were only 384 cases.

Matugas said the provincial government pushed hard for the adoption of measures that focused on preventing new infections and early treatment.

He directed all district and provincial hospitals to extend free service and assistance to dengue patients, and for local governments, through city and municipal health officers, to intensify anti-dengue drives.

Surigao City recorded the highest number of dengue patients with 539, followed by Claver town with 102, Placer town reporting 63 patients, Gigaquit  town with 61, San Francisco town with 55, and Dapa town having 51 patients.