Dengue kills 1 in Bicol

Even as it continues to ravage at least two villages in Bicol, dengue has claimed the life of at least one sixth-grade pupil in Camarines Sur province, DZRH radio reported Sunday. The report did not name the boy but said he was a resident of San Vicente Village in Pili town in Camarines Sur, and a student at the Pili Central School. It was not immediately clear when the boy died, but the report said several residents in San Vicente and San Juan villages of Pili have been brought to hospitals for dengue. Health officials have ordered canals sprayed with chemicals to prevent the further spread of dengue in the area. They also sent an epidemiological surveillance team to the site. Pili is a second-class town in Camarines Sur, with a population of 67,393 people in 12,389 households. In Mindanao, meanwhile, health authorities in Zamboanga City have intensified their campaign against dengue following an “alarming" rise in the number of cases registered at the medical stations there. Sun-Star Zamboanga (www.sunstar.com.ph) said the Health Department similarly intensified anti-dengue campaigns in several areas in the region. DOH regional epidemiology head Lala Sabido disclosed that of the 95 cases registered in the region for the past two months, 75 of them are from Zamboanga City. Aside from Zamboanga City, the DOH regional office covers the cities of Dapitan, Dipolog, Pagadian and Isabela and the provinces of Zamboanga Sibugay, Zamboanga del Sur and Zamboanga del Norte. Sabido said the campaign includes the massive destruction of possible breeding sites of dengue-carrier mosquitoes in the places identified as dengue hotspots. Earlier, the local health office identified the villages of Pasonanca, Sta. Maria, Baliwasan, Tumaga, Upper Calarian, and Talon-Talon among the areas needed attention. Sabido advised the residents not to rely on fumigation since its effects are temporary, as only the adult dengue-carrier mosquitoes are killed. Also, she said cleanliness and sanitation in the surroundings are the most effective and cheapest preventive measure against occurrence of dengue. - GMANews.TV