By JEN BAYLON

Negros Occidental has recorded a sharp increase in dengue cases this year, with 1,692 as of April 19, higher by 341.78 percent compared to the same period last year.

Despite the alarming surge, local health officials noted a promising trend: The number of cases has started to decline over the past two weeks.

“What is also noticeable is that the cases have started to drop already. The alert threshold and the epidemic threshold are now lower compared to that in 2024,” Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said, citing data from the Provincial Health Office (PHO).

“I hope this is already the start of a downward trend,” he added.

Health officials attribute the recent decrease in cases to intensified surveillance, early screening and community-based prevention campaigns against dengue.

The province has been actively promoting the Department of Health’s 4 o’clock habit, which urges residents to clean their surroundings daily at 4:00 p.m. to eliminate mosquito breeding grounds.

Meanwhile, the PHO said the current case count is triple than last year’s figure for the same period, which stood at 383 cases.

The highest number of cases was reported in Bago City with 333 cases, followed by the cities of La Carlota and San Carlos.

The province has also recorded seven dengue-related deaths so far this year, up from zero deaths during the same period in 2024.

Children and young adults remain the most affected, with the 11- to 20-year-old age group accounting for 32 percent of all cases.

The median age of patients is 15 years old, and the youngest case is six months old.

PHO head Dr. Girlie Pinongan reiterated the importance of early medical consultation for anyone experiencing fever or other dengue symptoms.

She said those experiencing fever should consider it dengue and have themselves checked just to confirm whether it’s dengue or not./JB, WDJ