A government physician advised the public to seek consultation if they have a fever for more than two days.

Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital (CLMMRH) infectious disease consultant Dr. Erika Joana Villanueva Caperonce said it is safe to seek medical help because early assessment is crucial if one has dengue fever, which usually lasts two to seven days.

She said dengue fever is also prevalent in other countries, but in the Philippines, it is an all-year-round disease caused by day-biting mosquitoes with black and white stripes.

Caperonce said complications of dengue set in when the fever has subsided, which could send a wrong signal to parents that the patient is in good condition.

When the patient has no fever, it is usually also the time when the platelet is at its lowest, she said, reminding again that dengue fever lasts from two to seven days.

Dengue symptoms may include headache, pain in the eye, joint pains, body aches, nausea, skin rashes, and low platelets. If patients show these symptoms, they should be admitted to a hospital because they may be experiencing severe dengue, she noted.

According to Caperonce, a complicated dengue warning sign is severe stomach pain, tender abdomen that is painful to touch, vomiting, difficulty in breathing, black stool, lethargy, and severe body weakness.

These patients could develop organ damage in the liver and other parts of the body and may experience hypertension, she added.

She recommends that families in the community observe the 4S strategy — search and destroy breeding sites, wear self-protection measures like wearing long sleeves and using insect repellents, seek early consultation for fever lasting more than two days, and support fogging or spraying only in areas with high dengue fever cases.

Earlier, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Girlie Pinongan revealed that the province has recorded more than 1,500 dengue cases, including six deaths, from January 1 to August 3 this year. (PIA-6 Negros Occidental)