Yt Framework

Zamboanga City has topped the number of dengue cases in Region 9 registering a whooping 1,487 patients with 15 deaths and still within the outbreak level.

Dr. Norvie Jalani, chief of the Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit of the Department of Health disclosed that based from monitoring, dengue cases all over Region 9 has reached 1,952 from January to present.

Jalani said Zamboanga del Norte follows at number 2 with only 222 dengue cases with two death, Zamboanga del Sur has 143 cases with two mortalities, Zamboanga Sibugay has 97 cases with zero death and Isabela City has 21 cases also with no mortality.

According to Jalani, studies conducted by the Research Institute for TropicalMedicine based in Manila disclosed that the three behavioral aspects that led to the surge of the dengue cases in this city include: 1) using of electric fans -- where people do not use mosquito nets while they go to sleep and instead use electric fans to drive away mosquitoes. 2) Breeding sites have tremendously increased and 3) Tires -- the proliferation of tires in many places like houses and junkshops contribute to the increase of Aedes mosquitoes which are the carriers of the dengue virus.

She said the profile of cases ranged from less than one year old to 81 years old and the most commonly affected are the 1-10 years old.
Jalani also disclosed that most of the patients are females because they stay at home and males are always out of their residences.

She said the index of mosquito bites per person is very high in barangay Tugbungan which she placed at 303 per person, Tumaga 134 mosquito bites per person and Guiwan 33 per person.

Jalani said patients should be treated at the hospitals because DOH does not believe in the curative effect of the Tawa-Tawa.

by: NonongSantiago