More deaths from dengue surge

The Department of Health Region 8 (DOH8) recently reported nine fatalities in Eastern Visayas caused by bites of dengue carrying mosquitoes. DOH-8 has recorded four deaths caused by dengue in the following areas of Southern Leyte: two from Maasin City, and one each from the towns of Liloan and Padre Burgos. The other places in the region are: one each from Jaro and Ormoc City in Leyte; one each from Taft and Hernani in Eastern Samar; and one from Calbayog City in Samar.
Due to this development, Maasin City Mayor Nacional V. Mercado called for an urgent meeting with the Tunga-tunga barangay captain, barangay health workers, Department of Health Nurse, and nurse Surveillance Officer Lourdes Aguilar. Mercado also confirmed an additional death case from barangay Tunga-tunga.
In his Facebook video post, Mayor Merado urged the public to be vigilant as dengue cases are for real.
Mercado also informed that if a person experiences fever within two days, he must go to the nearest doctor or nearest public health offices to be tested. That if the person feels ill an RDT test in Dengue must be undertaken. If the Complete Blood Count Test (CDC) shows below normal, the person must go to the nearest hospital for further treatment.
“Do not hesitate to be tested, RT-PCR TEST for COVID-19 is different from RDT test for Dengue”, Mercado said.
Mayor Mercado further said that the RDT test is free in the city health unit.
He also called everyone to support the Laban Dengue 4S. This is: Search and Destroy, Secure and Self-protection measures, Seek early consultation, and support fogging-spraying to mitigate the current spike of Dengue cases.
He also confirmed that as of July 14, Maasin City has two active cases from barangay Cabadiangan and Bato II.
Public health personnel deployed to conduct validation and inspection in every barangay, establishment, and houses in town.
In the DOH Eastern Visayas report, summary of cases in the region was reported as follows: Leyte has logged the most number of cases with 979, followed by Southern Leyte with 878 where most of the victims are three to four years old. Clustering of cases has also been observed in 47 barangays – 12 from Leyte, three from Ormoc and Tacloban City, 18 from Southern Leyte, and two from Eastern Samar.