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Double Trouble: Dengue spreads as COVID-19 threatens children in Kalinga

  • Writer: Kara Nodima Cawas
    Kara Nodima Cawas
  • Aug 20, 2021
  • 3 min read

Tabuk City, Kalinga - The pandemic is contributing to the increasing cases of dengue in children, posing a challenge among medical practitioners in Kalinga.


As of August, the Provincial Health Office and Kalinga Provincial Hospital COVID-19 Operation Center have reported 65 COVID-19 positive cases among children aged 0-17 years old, while the 134 dengue cases recorded from January to August 2021 involved children diagnosed with the dengue. Some were diagnosed as having been infected with Dengue and Covid-19 virus.


In an interview with Kalinga Medical Society Officer Pediatrician Doctor Lilian Gacuya Santos, she said that the problem of being infected with Dengue and Covid-19 at the same time is that it is difficult to distinguish one from the other. And it is more than double trouble if an individual has been infected with both.

"The signs and symptoms of COVID-19 and Dengue could be confusing, since both diseases present flu-like symptoms like fever, headache, and body discomfort, making the diagnosis difficult to determine on the first two days," said Santos.


According to Santos, the course of illness of dengue fever usually lasts for 7 days. The patient will have a high-grade fever for the first 2 days, then become afebrile or not feverish on the third day. The fever again recurs on the 4th day of illness, after which the patient may have a less fever on the 5th day. It is on the 4th day and 5th day of the illness that platelets go down or blood pressure goes down.


“Dito nagkakaroon ng complication like bleeding and the patient goes into shock. That's one reason why complete blood count is being monitored every day to guide the doctors if the patient can be managed on OPD (outpatient department) basis or needs to be hospitalized. Sometimes, parents manage their children at home giving them home remedies without consulting a doctor,” she said.

“Kapag hindi na kaya ng bata saka lang dadalhin sa Doctor. It is during this time that complications already set in and too late na hindi na mahabol ng swero,” she continued.


Advisory on Dengue outbreak


Dr. Santos underscored the need to immediately report cases of dengue to the concerned officials to monitor any possible outbreaks, which occurred before.


“We must report it immediately sa mga health center at sila na ang pupunta sa bahay-bahay, search and destroy the breeding places of mosquitoes, at mag-assign sa barangay captains to conduct the cleaning of barangays,” she said.


She also reiterated the public advisory on how to control the increase of Aedes mosquitos, especially during the rainy season.

Dengue, a mosquito-borne viral disease became a year-round disease nationwide, and it is being spread through the bite of infected ‘Aedes aegypti,’ (a female mosquito) that breeds in clean, stagnant water. Checking and removing stagnant water can help reduce the risk, as well as cleaning the surroundings, especially areas where mosquitos are present.


The Department of Health recently released advisories to practice the 4-S campaign against dengue which stands for Search and destroy mosquito-breeding sites, secure Self-protection measures like wearing long pants and long-sleeved shirts and daily use of mosquito repellent, Seek early consultation, and Support fogging/spraying only in hotspot areas where an increase in cases is registered for two consecutive weeks to prevent an impending outbreak.


Enhanced 4-S implementation calls for everyone to become prime movers in controlling the mosquito population and avoiding any possible dengue deaths within the community.


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