BUKIDNON, Philippines - With a 335.91% rise in dengue cases so far this year compared to the same period in 2021, Bukidnon has recorded the highest number of cases in Northern Mindanao.
From January 1 to August 6, the Bukidnon province recorded 2,428 instances of dengue illnesses, according to the Department of Health in Northern Mindanao (DOH-X) records. 557 cases were reported to the DOH during the same time period last year.
With 1,157 instances, Cagayan de Oro came in second, up 123.36% from the 518 cases it had during the same time period in 2021.
Misamis Oriental came in third with 1,059 cases, up 142.89% from the 436 cases it had the year before.
With 744 cases, Lanao del Norte was fourth, but its percentage change was the biggest at 481.25%. It only recorded 128 cases within the same time period in 2021.
The fewest occurrences were in Misamis Occidental, where there were 518 cases overall, a rise of 7.90% over the previous year's period of January 1 through August 6.
Valencia City had 466 cases, Maramag Town had 290, Malaybalay City had 259, Manolo Fortich had 154, Dangcagan had 132, and Don Carlos had 124. Bukidnon is the province with the highest number of dengue infections so far this year. In the remaining 16 Bukidnon towns, two-digit cases were reported.
The region reported a percentage change of 158.97% at 6,464 instances compared with the 2,496 cases during the same period in 2021, according to Dr. Jose Llacuna, director of DOH-X.
From January 1 to August 6 of this year, 17 deaths in the area were attributed to dengue, according to DOH-X data. However, the DOH did not release any statistics on the number of dengue deaths that occurred in Northern Mindanao in 2016.
Six deaths have been reported this year in the municipalities of Don Carlos, Maramag, Pangantucan, and Sumilao, according to the Bukidnon Provincial Health Office (PHO).
In the entire region, 3,280 cases of dengue fever predominantly affected youngsters between the ages of one and ten. 235 newborns were infected.
1,804 of the cases involved young people aged 11 to 20 while 593 others afflicted between the ages of 21 and 30.
129 infections that affected the elderly were recorded by the DOH-X.
On Tuesday, August 9, Bukidnon's health chief, Dr. Gary Guido Tabios Jr., informed the provincial board that steps had been put in place to handle the province's rising dengue cases this year, including assigning health personnel to look for and eliminate mosquito breeding grounds in the villages.
"Vector control is crucial for dengue management. The breeding grounds of these dengue-causing mosquitoes must be eliminated because if their number expands quickly, dengue would spread more quickly, according to Tabios.
Tabios claimed that Bukidnon was also covered in chemicals that could stop larvae from maturing, and that comparatively pricey insecticide-treated nets were supplied to schools.
According to Tabios, the likelihood of additional dengue mosquito breeding grounds in the countryside has grown due to the regular rains in Bukidnon.
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