Davao City health officials have increased their efforts to combat an increase in the number of dengue fever cases in the city, blaming the spike on citizens' unwillingness to seek medical attention.
More than 1,500 residents were infected with dengue from January to August, according to officials. There were 1,052 documented cases within the same time period in 2022.
The increase in cases is being attributed by health experts to inadequate sanitation, inappropriate waste disposal, frequent rains that generate mosquito breeding grounds, and citizens' unwillingness to seek medical attention.
According to Melodina Babante, the chief of the Davao City Health Office's Tropical Disease Division, there were more than 1,500 cases reported in mid-August, and "the numbers continue to climb."
On Tuesday, September 19, Babante told local television DXDC that 28 people died during that time period, the most of whom were children aged four to seven.
She said that some of these deaths are still being reviewed to see whether dengue was the reason. Last year, there were 13 dengue-related deaths in the city.
Babante stated that in the case of dengue-related mortality, families of affected individuals frequently refuse to seek medical attention due to financial restrictions and stringent hospital protocols, such as getting swab tests prior to admission. According to her, this causes a delay in treatment for dengue patients.
Others would simply self-diagnose, assuming that their symptoms were simply regular fevers that could be cured with home remedies, inadvertently endangering patients' lives.
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