Dengue deaths now at 12

AT LEAST 12 people have died from dengue fever and nearly 1,500 cases recorded since early this year in Zamboanga City.

A worker sprays chemical to kill mosquitoes. (Jose Carlo Rubio)

The local government declared an outbreak of dengue fever last month and Zamboanga had two dengue outbreaks in the past decade. 

Dengue is transmitted through a bite of dengue-infected Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes. These mosquitoes can lay eggs in any space or container that holds clear and stagnant water like a bottle cap, dish dryer, plant axil, gutter, trash can, old rubber tire. 

They usually bite between 2 hours after sunrise and 2 hours before sunset and can be found inside and outside the house. Dengue symptoms typically begin 3 to 14 days after infection and these may include a high fever, headache, vomiting, muscle and joint pains, and a characteristic skin rash.  

Mayor Beng Climaco, who regularly goes around different barangays, especially in areas where there are huge numbers of dengue cases, ordered a massive cleanliness drive to control the spread of the disease. 

Climaco ordered barangay officials to help in the campaign against dengue and lead residents in the cleanliness drive by destroying breeding grounds of mosquitoes. She also urged for public cooperation and community involvement in the campaign against the spread of the deadly dengue virus. “We have to keep our surroundings clean at all times and destroy breeding places of mosquitoes, such as discarded containers, tires and broken (flower) pots,” the mayor said. 

The City Health Office said dengue cases continue to soar and has urged residents to destroy breeding places of mosquitoes and to keep their surroundings clean. 

The barangays with high dengue cases are Tetuan, San Roque, Santa Maria, Mercedes, Putik, Pasonanca, Tumaga, Calarian, Divisoria, Boalan, Culianan, Guiwan, San Jose Gusu, Tugbungan, and Cabatangan. (Jasmine Mohammadsali, Zamboanga Post)