Dengue cases in Quezon province have been on the rise since January, resulting in four reported fatalities, according to local authorities.
LUCENA CITY 鈥� Dengue cases in Quezon province have been on the rise since January, resulting in four reported fatalities, according to local authorities.
鈥淒engue cases are increasing. We have registered four deaths,鈥� Governor Angelina Tan, a medical doctor, said during a live stream interview on Facebook conducted Tuesday by her public information officer.
She did not provide further details.
READ: DOH launches 鈥楢las-Kwatro Kontra Mosquito鈥� anti-dengue drive
Dr. Kristin Mae-Jean Villase帽or, chief of the Quezon Provincial Health Office, told the Inquirer that the fatalities were two residents of Tiaong town and one each from Sariaya and Infanta towns.
Villase帽or did not disclose the age of the victims or the current number of dengue cases in the province. However, she noted that most patients from January to February 20 were between 1 and 10 years old.
Dengue is transmitted through the bite of a female Aedes aegypti mosquito. The infection causes a severe flu-like illness, often accompanied by a sharp drop in platelet count.
Symptoms include the sudden onset of fever, severe headache, intense pain behind the eyes, muscle and joint pain, rash, easy bruising, and bleeding from the nose or gums.
Tan reminded the public that dengue poses a year-round threat, with cases peaking during the rainy season. She urged residents to clean their surroundings and eliminate stagnant water where mosquitoes breed.
In response to rising cases nationwide, the Department of Health (DOH) launched the 鈥淎las-Kwatro Kontra Mosquito鈥� campaign on Monday, Feb. 24, to combat the spread of the disease.
Last week, the DOH reported more than 43,000 dengue cases across the country from January to February 15鈥攁 56-percent increase from the 27,995 cases recorded during the same period last year. INQ