By CESAR JOLITO III

Negros Occidental has recorded more than 4,000 dengue cases this year, with nine deaths reported, according to the Provincial Health Office (PHO).

Based on Morbidity Week 33 data, covering January 1 to August 16, the province logged 4,093 dengue cases, marking a 28.91 percent increase compared to the 3,175 cases recorded in the same period last year.

Among the province’s 31 cities and municipalities, Bago City tops the list with 965 cases and one death.

This is followed by La Carlota City (with 391 cases), Kabankalan City (371), San Carlos City (214 with one death), Isabela (171 with two deaths), Silay City (166 with one death), Cauayan (150), Hinigaran (135 with one death), La Castellana (113), and Pulupandan (109).

The PHO said the nine dengue-related deaths recorded so far include both children and adults, underscoring the urgency of community-level prevention and early medical intervention.

The first fatality was recorded in January, involving an 18-year-old man from Isabela.

Other deaths include a 22-year-old man from Murcia town, a 13-year-old boy from San Carlos, a 17-year-old girl from Ilog town, a nine-year-old girl from Silay, a 16-year-old boy from Manapla town, and a 49-year-old woman from Bago City in April.

The age group most affected is 11 to 20 years old, though patients range from infants as young as a few months to elderly individuals up to 94 years old.

Dengue is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes.

Its symptoms include sudden high-grade fever, severe headache, pain behind the eyes, joint and muscle pain, and rashes.

The Department of Health warned that when fever subsides after four to five days, warning signs such as bleeding gums, abdominal pain, persistent vomiting, and dark stools may follow — an indication of possible severe dengue./CJ, WDJ