QC on alert as dengue cases hit high of 40 daily
A total of 993 dengue cases were recorded in Quezon City from Sept. 10 to Oct. 7, with the figures rising by 30 percent in the last two weeks, the city’s health monitoring unit said on Thursday.
In a statement, the Quezon City Epidemiology and Surveillance Division (QCESD) said that
city health officials remain on alert due to the continued “persistence” and “upward trend” of dengue cases over the past weeks, with an average of 40 cases reported daily.
It added that most of those diagnosed with the mosquito-borne disease were males and children of school age, with four deaths recorded from Sept. 10 to Oct. 7. The fatalities were between 4 and 14 years old and residents of Barangays Batasan Hills, Doña Imelda, Krus na Ligas and Roxas. They were admitted to hospitals two to four days after they experienced symptoms.
According to the QCESD, 57 percent or 565 of the reported cases during the said period were males, while females accounted for 43 percent or 428 cases. Moreover, 59 percent or 381 dengue cases involved school-age children ranging from 5 to 17 years old.
Most of the cases were classified as “dengue without warning signs,” accounting for 51 percent or 509, while 49 percent or 472 were considered as “dengue with warning signs.” Only 1 percent or 12 cases were classified as “severe.”
Symptoms
Warning signs or symptoms for dengue include a fever that lasts for more than two days, severe abdominal pain, persistent vomiting, bleeding gums or nosebleeds, weakness or drowsiness and difficulty in breathing.
The QCESD urged residents to immediately seek medical attention when they come down with symptoms, stressing that early consultation is critical in preventing severe cases.
Barangays with the highest number of cases included Batasan Hills with 82, Commonwealth with 61, Holy Spirit with 59, Tatalon with 46 and Pasong Tamo with 44.
As for hospitals, the ones that reported the most number of cases were Quezon City General Hospital with 180, Rosario Maclang Bautista General Hospital with 179 and National Children’s Hospital with 138.
Dengue is a disease that is spread by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which breed in stagnant water. It is one of the WILD (Waterborne, influenza-like, leptospirosis and dengue) diseases that become more common during the rainy season, as it causes the formation of more pools of water that become breeding sites.
