Quarantine may have contributed to the decrease of communicable and non-communicable diseases in Baguio City based on the monitoring of diseases from January to October this year.
In the surveillance report of the City Health Services Office from Jan. 1 to Oct. 3, there were 106 dengue cases with one fatality from Loakan Proper barangay. The CHSO noted an 83.79 percent decrease of cases compared to same period last year, which had a total of 654 cases and four deaths.
Of the 106 dengue cases from January to October this year, 16 percent belong to the 15 to 19 years old age group. Patients’ age ranges from one to 81 years old or a median age of 24. At least 55.7 percent of the cases are males.
Clustering of dengue was recorded at Barangay Country Club Village from June 21 to July 18 with 21 cases. The barangay had a total of 30 cases from Jan. 1 to Oct. 3.
Another clustering of cases was recorded in Barangay Happy Hallow from July 12 to 18 with a total of three cases.
Other barangays with dengue cases dispersed within the first 10 months of 2020 are Barangay Lower Rock Quarry with four cases and Bakakeng Central with three cases.
Meanwhile, the following barangays had two cases each: Bakakeng North, Balsigan, Dominican Hill-Mirador, Loakan Proper, Upper Quezon Hill, South Sanitary Camp, and North Sanitary Camp.
On the other hand, the following barangays had one case each: ABCR, Asin Road, Camp 7, City Camp Central, City Camp Proper, Lower Dagsian, Dizon Subdivision, Dontogan, Fort del Pilar, Gibraltar, Greenwater Village, Holy Ghost Proper, Irisan, Loakan-Liwanag, Lourdes Subdivision Proper, Padre Burgos, Middle Rock Quarry, St. Joseph Village, and San Vicente.
Other diseases monitored for the same period with notable decrease in cases are acute bloody diarrhea from 82 last year to seven this year; hand-foot-mouth disease from 142 last year to 15 this year; hepatitis from 77 last year to 14 this year; influenza-like illnesses from 792 to 267 this year; measles from 442 and one fatality last year to 222 cases this year; and typhoid fever from 101 cases and one fatality last year to 11 this year.
City Epidemiologist Donnabel Tubera-Panes reminds the public to maintain cleanliness and sanitation at home as a proactive means of preventing diseases. – Jessa Samidan
