• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Department of Health-Negros Island Region (DOH-NIR) has recorded 27 dengue-related deaths across the region, even as dengue cases declined by 33 percent compared with the same period last year.
DOH-NIR Assistant Regional Director Adrian Hort said on Wednesday, Oct. 7 the region logged a cumulative 4,972 dengue cases from January 1 to Sept. 19 this year, compared with 7,451 cases during the same period in 2025.
However, dengue fatalities increased from 19 in 2025 to 27 this year, with a case fatality rate of 0.54 percent.
Of the 27 deaths, 16 were recorded in Negros Occidental, six in Negros Oriental, and five in Bacolod City.
No dengue-related death was reported in Siquijor.
The fatalities included six children aged 6 to 10 years old, five aged 21 to 30, four aged over 60, three each in the 11-15 and 31-40 age groups.
One fatality each were recorded in the 16-20, 41-50 and 51-60 age groups.
The data also included deaths among children aged 1-5.
Hort attributed the increase in fatalities partly to the late admission of dengue patients to hospitals.
He said some cases were initially dismissed as ordinary flu, resulting in patients seeking medical attention only when their condition had already worsened.
Hort urged parents and adults experiencing persistent fever to seek medical attention early.
“If you have been experiencing fever for three days, visit immediately the nearest health center or primary healthcare facility so you can be assessed by a doctor and tested,” he said.
He added that early detection could prevent patients from reaching the hemorrhagic stage before being referred to hospitals.
The DOH-NIR data showed that school-aged children remained the most affected, with those aged 6 to 10 accounting for 955 cases, or 19 percent of the total.
This was followed by those aged 11 to 15 with 806 cases (16 percent), and children aged 1 to 5 with 724 cases (15 percent).
Hort said the latest figures should not lead communities to become complacent despite the decline in overall cases.
He emphasized that dengue prevention should be observed year-round, not only during the rainy season when mosquito populations and dengue transmission can increase.
“It is a behavioral approach of the people —not only the local government units, but all of us,” Hort said, stressing the need for sustained community efforts to eliminate mosquito breeding sites. | GPB
