BAGUIO CITY – The Department of Health-Cordillera reported 883 cases of dengue in Cordillera Region in the first quarter of the year, a 332% rise compared to the 204 cases reported in the same period last year.
The DOH-Cordillera also reported that there were three deaths recorded during the January to April period.
The Apayao province recorded 172 cases of dengue from January to April, a remarkable increase since there were only 10 cases in the same period last year.
There was a remarkable increase of cases in Kalinga with 140 this year. Mountain Province recorded 29 cases this year.
Dengue is likewise a cause of concern in Ifugao after recording 53 this year, a 341 percent increase since it had only 12 cases in the same period last year. There were 312 cases in Benguet this year while Baguio City reported 125 cases.
Only Abra recorded a decrease in cases with zero this year while there were eight cases last year.
The record further shows that there is an 87 percent increase in cases of non-Cordillera patients who seek medical assistance in Cordillera hospitals with 10 cases in 2021 and 52 cases this year.
Alexander Baday, an entomologist of the DOH-Cordillera, said with face-to-face classes returning, school children aged 16 to 20 are the most vulnerable, which is 13 percent of the population.
“We are advocating for the elimination of cases which focus more on cleanliness that will lead to the destruction of possible breeding grounds of mosquitoes,” Baday said.
He added that because insects are very difficult to control and are highly adaptive to the environment, the public must treat all mosquitoes as dengue-causing and must be killed and eliminated.