DENGUE CASES UP 22% -- DOH
MANILA, MARCH 7, 2008 (STAR) By Helen Flores - Dengue cases in the country went up by 22 percent from January to mid-February compared to the same period last year, the Department of Health reported yesterday.The DOH said a total of 4,345 cases were recorded from Jan. 1 to Feb. 16, higher by 788 than the 3,557 cases in the same period last year.
The DOH, however, did not cite reasons for the rising number of dengue cases.
Dengue is transmitted by the bite of an Aedes mosquito infected with any one of four dengue viruses. It occurs in tropical and sub-tropical areas of the world.
The regions with the highest number of recorded cases were the National Capital Region (37 percent), Region 7 (16 percent) and Region 3 (14 percent).
In NCR, most cases were from Manila (30 percent), Caloocan (13 percent) and Quezon City (11 percent).
The health department said the age range of those affected by dengue is from two months to 87 years old. The average age is 12 years old.
Forty-one percent of the cases were from the age group one to 10 years, followed by those between 11 to 20 years (36 percent). Fifty-three percent or 2, 282 were male, the DOH said.
The DOH said there were 38 reported deaths so far, adding their age ranged from six months to 41 years.
Sixty percent of deaths were from age group one to 10 years old, the DOH said. Seventy-four percent of them were female.
Thirty-one percent of deaths were recorded in Region 7 followed by Region 3 (18 percent) and NCR (18 percent).
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), symptoms appear three to 14 days after the infective bite. Dengue fever is a febrile illness that affects infants, young children and adults.
Symptoms range from a mild fever to incapacitating high fever, with severe headache, pain behind the eyes, muscle and joint pain and rashes.
There are no specific antiviral drugs for dengue but it is important to maintain hydration, the WHO said.
Use of acetylsalicylic acid (e.g. aspirin) and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (e.g. Ibuprofen) is not recommended, the WHO stressed.
RP skipper’s body recovered off Japan Friday, March 7, 2008
The Filipino skipper of a cargo ship that sank following a collision in western Japan was found dead yesterday, bringing the death toll to two, the Japanese coast guard said.
The body of the ship’s captain, identified as Tomasniri D. Demandaco Jr., was recovered after it was pulled in by a fishing boat in its trawl net, the coast guard said.
Another Filipino crew member was rescued last Wednesday but later died in a nearby hospital. Two other Filipino seamen remain missing.
Three vessels collided last Wednesday in the Akashi Strait, part of Japan’s Inland Sea. A 1,466-ton Belizean cargo ship with nine Filipino crew on board sank.
Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) spokesperson Claro Cristobal said search and rescue operations continue for the two missing Pinoy sailors.
Cristobal said two of the five rescued Pinoy seafarers are now in stable condition while the rest remain in intensive care.
He said the Philippine embassy in Tokyo and the Consulate General in Osaka are closely coordinating with Japanese authorities on the rescue and assistance efforts.
Collisions are common in the Akashi Strait, one of Japan’s busiest bodies of water that links major cities in western Japan with the Pacific Ocean. – Pia Lee-Brago
Reported by: Sol Jose Vanzi
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