• CHERYL G. CRUZ
Dengue cases in Western Visayas reached 1,601, with three fatalities, in the first 11 weeks of this year, the Department of Health said.
For the Mar. 10-16 monitoring period, 134 newly-reported dengue cases were also logged, although the total number was still one percent lower than the 1,622 cases reported in the same period last year, the DOH added.
The provinces with the highest number of newly-reported dengue cases include Iloilo, with 54 new infections, for a total of 481 cases; Capiz, 25 new cases (228 total), and Aklan, 23 new cases (275 total).
Negros Occidental logged 214 cases since the start of the year, with 10 new ones recorded in the Mar. 10-16 period, while the highly-urbanized Bacolod City has 32 cases.
There were no new dengue fatalities recorded, as of March 16, the DOH WV CHD Dengue and Malaria Program said March 20, adding the initial death count remained at three.
These include a six-year-old male from Iloilo province Feb. 10, a 75-year-old Aklanon Feb. 24, and another six-year-old from Iloilo City Mar. 9.
“There is an increased attack rate of dengue in the provinces of Guimaras, Antique, Iloilo, and Capiz, and 22 barangays in Western Visayas have clustering of cases,” the report added. | CGC
