The region of the Eastern Visayas is a tale of two mosquito borne disease stories as health officials at the same time report an increase in dengue fever, while at the same time, report the region, the first o the archipelago, to become free of the mosquito borne parasitic disease, filariaris.
According to DOH 8 epidemiology nurse Boyd Roderick S. Cerro, a total of 3,610 cases with 15 deaths were recorded in the region. This is a 26 percent increase when compared with the same period last year. The cases included 2,507 from Leyte; 58 from Biliran; 109 in Southern Leyte; Eastern Samar, 378; Northern Samar, 76 and Samar with 485. Twenty-one fatalities were reported.
In a note of good news in the region, the Philippines Department of Health (DOH) says the Eastern Visayas is the country’s first lymphatic filariasis-free region in the country. This occurred after Northern Samar passed the filariasis evaluation in schoolkids last year.
The first province to be declared as filariasis-free was Southern Leyte way back in 2008 followed by Biliran in 2010.
Dengue fever is an infectious disease carried by mosquitoes and caused by any of four related dengue viruses. This disease used to be called “break-bone fever” because it sometimes causes severe joint and muscle pain that feels like bones are breaking.
People get the dengue virus from the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito. It is not contagious from person to person. For more infectious disease news and information, visit and “like” the Infectious Disease News Facebook page
There are three types of dengue fever in order of less severe to most: the typical uncomplicated dengue fever,dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHS) and dengue shock syndrome (DSS). Looking for a job in health care? Check here to see what’s available
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates there may be 50–100 million dengue infections worldwide every year. However, new research from the University of Oxford and the Wellcome Trust, using cartographic approaches, estimate there to be 390 million dengue infections per year worldwide.
Lymphatic filariasis is a parasitic disease that is transmitted to humans, like malaria and yellow fever, via a mosquito bite. However, unlike those acute infections, lymphatic filariasis may not manifest itself for years or decades after the initial infection.
