ILOILO, Philippines, Aug. 17 (UPI) -- Dengue fever cases have filled hospitals in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines, medical officials say.
Dr. Ramon Guerra, head of the West Visayas State University Medical Center, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer that as many as 300 patients were waiting to be admitted Monday. He said parents were leaving children in the emergency room.
Other hospitals also reported a shortage of beds. Liezel Palabrica said Iloilo Mission Hospital has had no vacant beds since July and there are patients waiting for them to open up.
Dengue, a viral disease spread by the Aedes mosquito, can be fatal. The disease is endemic in much of the tropics, including the Philippines.
Almost 6,000 cases had been reported in the Western Visayas region this year by July 31, more than twice the number in the same period last year. The region includes the island of Panay and the western half of Negros.
Western Visayas has the second highest incidence of dengue in the country this year after Central Mindanao, health officials say.
