As of Tuesday, the City Integrated Health Services Office (CIHSO) here said dengue incidence in the city already reached 588 cases with three confirmed deaths from January to July this year.
The city only recorded 248 dengue cases and with two deaths in the same period in 2009.
Dr. Lalaine Calonzo, CIHSO’s assistant department head, said the results of their evaluation showed that at least 58.4 percent of the dengue patients in the city were children aged 10 and below.
She said most of the patients were from the identified endemic areas in the city that includes Barangays Lagao, Labangal, Calumpang, San Isidro, City Heights and Fatima.
Calonzo said City Mayor Darlene Antonino-Custodio already directed their office to coordinate with private hospitals and concerned government and non-government agencies in the city for the conduct of unified activities against the spread of dengue.
She said their efforts are currently focused on the conduct of intensified dengue awareness and cleanup drives in various communities in the city.
“We are working double time since the situation is more critical this time because the dengue strain that we’ve been encountering is more fatal,” Calonzo said.
