Valenzuela City Dengue Cases Down

..MANILA, Philippines --- From January 1 until mid-May of this year, the Valenzuela City Health Office reported only 14 confirmed cases of dengue or 4.5 percent of the 256 individuals classified as suspects. According to report of City Health Office chief Dr. Jaime Exconde, the confirmed cases came from a total of 310 cases admitted from different hospitals in Valenzuela. Majority of the individuals admitted for dengue were males (164), with most cases coming from Barangay Gen. T. De Leon - the biggest barangay of the city. But the highest incidence proportion of dengue was identified in Barangay Palasan with some 25 cases per 10,000 individuals. Only two deaths were recorded as of May 12. Exconde said that the admitted cases for this period was lower compared to last year's 516 admitted cases during the same period. In January 2012 alone, only 90 cases were admitted compared to the 227 admittances in 2011. Based on the records, most of the admitted patients this year were still males with 52.9 percent (164 individuals). Furthermore, the youngest suspected patient on record was around 11 months and the oldest patient was 76 years old. Valenzuela City PIO head Ahna Mejia said continuous efforts by both residents and the local government to mitigate dengue incidents helped in lowering dengue cases in their area. ''We are not just focusing on the areas that previously had high dengue incidence. Our plea to the public is that to continue to observe cleanliness within their homes which plays a big role in disease prevention, not just dengue,'' Mejia said. Mejia added that in coordination with the Department of Education, the city government is intensifying its dengue mitigation in schools this week prior to the opening of classes in June 4. ..