Dengue Fever

The members of the Bohol Child Health Care Advocates group composed of practicing pediatricians in Bohol were so privileged to be visited by the Dengue Warriors of the Philippine Pediatric Society Central Visayas Chapter headed bythe President Dr Daylou Villegas. 

The group came to discuss with us the new trends in the management of Dengue fever. 

The “Oplan Dengue in Bohol” was a one day integration of lectures from experts and workshops aimed to better equip healthcare providers in Bohol regarding dengue and its management. 

The experts include Dr Vivina Chiu, Dr Ronald Limchiu, Dr Ramon Najarro, Dr Ellaine Nielo, Dr Audrey N. Diaz, Dr Rudy Amatong, Dr Elmer Kent Lopez and Dr Gladys Dela Torre.

It was held in the auditorium of the Governor Celestino Gallares Memorial Hospital through the initiative of Dr Mutya Kismet T. Macuno , who is also a pediatric neonatologist and a past president of BCHCA, who coordinated with Dr Mike Jayoma, the  center chief of GCGMH.

Dr Florentina Ty, a pediatric intensivist and past president of the Philippine Pediatric Society, flew in from Manila and also gave a lecture.

She said that the Philippines has the highest number of cases  among the Asean countries as of November 2024 and all the serotypes of Dengue virus are present.

In 2026, they are so concerned in Bohol because the case fatality rate of Dengue is 1.12% since January to August with reported 26 deaths among dengue cases.

We already know that Dengue fever is due to a bite of a mosquito called Aedes aegypti, this is a low flying mosquito whose activity is active 2 hours after sunrise and just before sunset. 

So, we must avoid going outside during these time.

Dengue fever is now classified as:
1. Dengue fever without warning signs
2. Dengue fever with warning signs
3. Severe Dengue

How do we know if one has dengue? These are the common presenting symptoms:
– fever of at least 24 hours
– nausea and vomiting
– severe headache
– pain at the back of the eyes
– joint and muscle pains
– and rash.

Furthermore, what are the warning signs of dengue? The speakers emphasized the following as the warning signs:
– severe abdominal pain
– persistent vomiting
– bleeding of gums and nose
– lethargy, restlessness and irritability
– no passage of urine for 6 hours
– and blood in vomitus and stool.

The activity was a success and we thank our very active president of the Bohol Child Health Care Advocate Dr Jelpha Robillos and our founding President Dr Emma Dominguez.

We hope that with the “Oplan Dengue In Bohol”, we will achieve the goal of successful management of dengue cases in our Province of Bohol.