Ben Madilynn
THE Cebu City Council has urged the City Health Department (CHD) to encourage blood donations by launching an information campaign as a response to the ongoing dengue surge.
As of Sept. 6, 2024, the city had recorded a total of 597 confirmed dengue cases with eight deaths, Acting Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia said in previous reports.
A resolution, authored by City Councilor Rey Gealon and approved on Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024, requests the CHD to conduct an information, education, and communication campaign to emphasize the importance of blood donation.
Gealon said in the resolution that blood donation plays an important role in treating severe dengue cases, which often result in complications like bleeding and low platelet counts.
Gealon said taht as dengue cases continue to rise across Cebu, the Philippine Red Cross has issued an urgent appeal for blood donations to meet the increasing demand.
The dengue cases in the country rose to 208,965 on Jan. 1-Sept. 6, 2024, 68 percent higher compared to the 124,157 cases recorded in the same period in 2023.
The Department of Health (DOH) Central Office reported 546 deaths as of Sept. 6, with a lower case fatality rate of 0.26 percent, down from 0.39 percent in 2023.
According to the DOH, cases were on an uptrend, showing a 25 percent increase from Aug. 4 to Aug. 17, 2024 with 36,335 cases reported, compared to the 29,021 reported from July 21 to August 3, 2024. / JPS with PNA
