ARACELI, PALAWAN – Due to the increasing number of dengue cases, authorities in the Municipality of Araceli Maricirs Saclet held an emergency meeting and activated the Municipal Dengue Task Force as well as the Action Barangay Kontra Dengue.
Mayor Noel Beronio called the meeting after 18 cases of dengue fever were recorded between June 25 to June 29, 2018. With the activation of the task force, the local government unit, Rural Health Unit and the community, different activities were conducted to address the increasing number of dengue fever cases.
Health education campaign will be continuously conducted by RHU, flyers with information on dengue are being distributed and clean up drives are conducted daily not just in the affected barangays but in all barangays. Fevers and other symptoms of dengue are similarly monitored by the RHU.
According to the RHU officer-in-charge, 17 of the 18 cases of dengue were from Barangay Osmena and one case was from Barangay Lumacad. The first case of dengue brought to the attention of RHU was last 25 July 2018 and another two cases were reported in the morning of 29 July 2018.
Based on the report, the youngest case recorded was three (3) months old who is now in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Ospital ng Palawan and the oldest is 23-year-old who is the mother of the three (3) year old baby. The mother was given blood transfusion due to dengue illness. The rest of the patients range in age from two (2) years old to ten (10) years old. Nine (9) patients were referred to Puerto Princesa hospitals and were mostly confined at the Ospital ng Palawan. As of today, three (3) of these nine (9) patients are now outpatient.
As an immediate action, the RHU used organic chemical in identified standing water to kills mosquito larva in Barangay Osmena and Lumacad. Once more organic chemical will become available, all barangays will be able to use the chemical particularly in areas identified to be potential breeding areas for mosquitos.
To avoid dengue fever, nurse Lutgarda Ramirez of Provincial Health Office said the best way to avoid dengue fever is not to be bitten by mosquito carrying a dengue virus by wearing long pants, long sleeve shirt, avoiding going out in the morning. She also suggested to use anti mosquito lotion or ointment. Cleaning the surrounding is also very effective according to her. Ensure to change water of flower vases, clean the gutter, cover water containers. She further stressed to be conscious of once health. If feverish, monitor and consult physician if fever has been continuous for more than a day.
The symptoms of dengue include high continuous fever which last 2-7 days, skin flushing, stomach pain, sever joints and muscle pains, fatigue, skin rash which appears two to five days after the onset of fever, mild bleeding such as nose bleed, bleeding of gums or easy bruising.