Health personnel here have intensified their surveillance against the deadly dengue fever as cases continued to increase in various communities in the past several weeks.

Mary Rose Anne Aloot, health education and promotion officer of the City Health Office (CHO), said Monday they already recorded in 26 barangays a total of 737 dengue cases, with eight related deaths, since Jan. 1 this year.

A report from the CHO’s epidemiology and surveillance unit said the figure is about 104 percent higher than the 362 cases, with five confirmed deaths, reported in the same period last year.

Aloot said most of the cases involved children aged 10 years old and below but residents aged up to 59 years old were likewise affected.

She said they have expanded their monitoring and disease surveillance in local communities, in coordination with the barangays.

“Our data catchment has been extended to the rural health units (RHUs) and not just limited to the hospitals,” she told reporters.

Aloot advised residents to observe the “4S” strategy against dengue set by the Department of Health.

It stands for Search and destroy mosquito-breeding sites; Secure self-protection measures, such as wearing long pants and long-sleeved shirts and daily use of mosquito repellent; Seek early consultation, and Support fogging or spraying only in hotspots where an increase in cases has been registered for two consecutive weeks.

She said residents should sustain the regular cleanup of possible breeding places of dengue-carrying mosquitoes inside their homes and immediate surroundings.

Those with high fever, severe headache, rashes, and other possible signs and symptoms should immediately seek help with the RHUs, she said.

“They should not wait for the symptoms to reach three days before going to the doctor to avoid possible critical complications,” Aloot said. (PNA)