MANILA, Philippines - Cases of dengue in Ilocos Sur have dropped but increased in Baguio City, health officials said Saturday.
Ilocos Sur Health Team Officer Benjie Castillo said that four persons were killed in the province by the disease in the first half of 2008.
As of January, only 47 dengue cases were recorded in Ilocos Sur, the lowest in three years.
In Baguio, meanwhile, the city registered a surge in dengue cases despite massive information campaign for the prevention of the illness, said Department of Health (DoH) Regional Director Myrna Cabotaje.
From January to June this year, 134 cases of dengue infection were reported or a 70-percent increase from the 94 cases in January-June 2007.
Of the 129 barangays in Baguio, 13 are considered dengue hotspots. The villages are Asin, ABCR, Aurora Hill, Brookside, Camp 7, Fairview, Loakan Proper, Engineer's Hill, Quezon Hill Proper, Sta. Escolastica, Lourdes Extension, New Lucban and Irisan. - GMANews.TV