6,000 new dengue cases in 2 weeks: DOH

by Sol Aragones, ABS-CBN News

Posted at Aug 12 2011 07:55 PM | Updated as of Aug 13 2011 07:57 PM

MANILA, Philippines - In just 2 weeks, 6,000 new dengue cases nationwide have been reported by the Department of Health.

Dr. Eric Tayag, head of the DOH's National Epidemiology Center, said there were 45,333 dengue cases and 267 deaths from the illness from January 1 to August 6 this year. The figure is 33.5% lower compared to last year.

The DOH, however, is still monitoring a continuing increase in the number of dengue cases in Ilocos, Central Luzon, and Southern Luzon.

Tayag reminded those who are suffering from fever for 2-3 days that they have to be hydrated.

They can use formula "1-8-1" which means 1 liter of water in a container that has 8 teaspoons of sugar and 1 teaspoon of salt, he said.

Those who have fever for 2-3 days can drink this up to 5 times a day to avoid dehydration, he added.

Tayag said the signs of the critical stage of dengue are vomiting, abdominal pain, and nose and gum bleeding.

Once the symptoms show, the patient should be rushed immediately to a doctor to avoid organ failure and brain infection, he said,

He also reiterated that there's no such thing as dengue immunity, as people who suffered the illness are are still prone to the other strains of the disease.