Phil Inquirer:
On July 15, the Department of Health (DOH) for the first time declared a national dengue alert, after the viral illness claimed the lives of at least 450 people in the first six months of the year.
In Iloilo province, hospitals have been overflowing with dengue patients, many of them being treated along hallways. A gymnasium in Maasin town has been converted into a treatment center. In other parts of the province, more health personnel have been deployed and tents readied to accommodate patients. ,,,
The DOH on Saturday said an additional 5,744 new cases were recorded in just the week of June 30 to July 6. That figure is 22 percent higher than the 4,703 cases in the same period last year. The death toll since the start of the year has climbed to 491, according to the DOH. There have been 115,986 dengue cases nationwide so far this year, already almost double the 62,267 cases recorded in 2018. Children age 5 to 9 years old accounted for nearly a quarter of all dengue cases
the biggest outbreak is in the Visayas, but we are also a hot spot for the disease.
the Dengue vaccine scandal hasn't helped: Ironically, the FDA has approved of the vaccine, with restrictions.
Dengue is not usually fatal, but if you have had one infection, a second infection is more likely to lead to the more severe and fatal form of the disease.
those who never had Dengue in the past then were given the vaccine and a few (a very few) then developed Dengue and died.
link
"Infection by one type of dengue virus usually provides immunity against that specific serotype, but a subsequent infection by any of the other three serotypes of the virus increases the risk of developing severe dengue disease, which may lead to hospitalization or even death," said Peter Marks, MD, director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.
Dengvaxia is not approved for individuals who have never been infected by any dengue virus stereotype or "for whom this information is unknown," and the agency said healthcare professionals should evaluate individuals for prior dengue infection through medical records or serological testing prior to vaccination.the Philippines bought this expensive vaccine and gave it to children,
but after a few deaths (less than a dozen, after 800 thousand were given the vaccine), it was withdrawn. There were suspicions someone was influenced to approve the vaccine (never proven, but with the way things work here, not especially paranoid).
One side effect of the dengue scandal was that parents refused other vaccinations for their kids, resulting in a measles epidemic and quite a few deaths (at least 70) from measles.
and of course, it was another way for anti vaxxers to point to so they can make money off of their paranoid conspiracy theories, (yes, I'm pointing to you, Alex Jones) never mind the deaths from not using the vaccine.
Sigh.
Ironically, the Dept of Health is going back to the old fashioned ways to stop the disease: Mosquito control:
Health officials reiterated that the most effective way to avoid dengue is still the ‘4s’ strategy. The 4s strategy stands for Search and destroy mosquito breeding places, Self-protective measures like wearing long sleeves and use of insect repellent, Seek early consultation on the first signs and symptoms of the disease, and Say yes to fogging if there is an impending outbreak.
Alas, it is rainy season, so every garbage heap, and street potholes fill will water for mosquitoes to breed. The open drainage ditches between rains are also a problem, as do the irrigation channels to nearby rice paddies.
And it doesn't take long: if we leave the dog's water dish unchanged for over a day, one can find "wrigglers" breeding there. Ditto for flower vases.
Our city has covered over the open ditches nearby used to as sewers to drain water, so that lowered the danger, but so far they haven't sprayed our area.
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