Don’t wait to treat dengue, DOH urges public

A wait-and-see attitude in seeking medical treatment for dengue fever could prove more costly and even fatal, a Department of Health official said over the weekend. Dr. Lyndon Lee Suy, DOH program manager for dengue fever, chided some families for insisting on their wait-and-see attitude in delaying treatment for kin with symptoms of dengue fever. “Magiging mahal kung lumala ang condition. Kung patingin initially sa trangkaso walang complication di kamahalan ang gamot dahil fluid o gamot sa lagnat ang pinapantayan natin yan. Nagiging problema yan sa pamilya ang gastusin pag dinala sa ospital medyo malala na (Dengue fever becomes costly once the patient’s condition worsens. Initially you can counter dengue with fluids and medicines. But once the disease progresses it becomes more difficult to treat)," he said in an interview on dzBB radio. He said that in some cases, patients will need blood. Earlier, Lee Suy appealed to the public for its cooperation in fighting the dengue fever scourge. “ Ang laban ng dengue di pwede ang DOH lang. Kailangan partner natin ang komunidad sa pagsugpo ng dengue (The fight against dengue fever is not just that of the government. We need the communities as our partners)," he said. Earlier, dzBB reported the DOH had noted 16,317 dengue fever cases in public hospitals from January to August. Of these, 165 had died. Many of the cases were from Metro Manila. Lee Suy said that while this year’s cases were fewer than during the same period last year, they are still a threat to people. He reiterated his appeal to the public to keep their surroundings clean and dry, so dengue-carrying mosquitoes will not be able to breed. He explained that dengue fever, being an urban disease, is expected to rise in Metro Manila. Many communities in urban centers tend to store water in containers due to lack of a steady water supply, a practice considered prone to mosquito infestation. Lee Suy said that while not all government health centers are properly equipped with laboratories to diagnose dengue fever, the doctors there can help detect early signs of the disease. - GMANews.TV