PALO, Leyte – The Department of Health (DOH) regional office here reported that 879 persons in Eastern Visayas have been afflicted with dengue foe the past 10 months this year to- include a seven-year boy in Tacloban City who died.

Based on the monitoring of the Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (RESU) of the DOH, the lone fatality died three months ago. Sentinel nurse of the DOH Boy Cerro said the number of dengue case this year is comparatively higher than the 635 cases reported during the same period last year.

In 2003, there were four deaths out of the 1, 195 reported dengue cases. But of the region’s six provinces, Leyte has the highest number of dengue cases of 357, wi0th Tacloban City having the highest number at 275.

Cerro said that during this period, all government and private hospitals have dengue patients with Bethany hospital having the highest number of dengue patients at 212 followed by DWU with 120 dengue patients.

The two government hospitals, Tacloban City Hospital and Eastern Visayas Regional Medical Center, have 58 and eight patients, respectively.

It was also observed that the province of Northern Samar and Biliran have the lowest number of dengue cases at 26 persons in Northern Samar and 24 in Biliran.

Samar and Eastern Samar provinces have only 10 dengue cases.

Cerro said that compared to last year’s number of cases, it shows that the number of cases in 2004 have decreased becau9se of the high level of awareness of the public as to dengue prevention.

The DOH continued its advocacy in environmental sanitation during rainy season as it really one of the main cause of dengue, especially if the breeding places of mosquitoes will not be attended.

Cerro also said that during the past 10 months there was no outbreak in connection with dengue disease. The last outbreak occurred in 2003 in two separate areas in the region with five deaths.