The incidence of dengue has become a serious health concern in many areas around the world. The increasing number of dengue cases are said to be the result of rapid population growth and climate change. This study assessed the incidence of dengue in Ozamiz City, Philippines. It also determined the relationship of climatic factors on dengue incidence reported in the area. Documentary analysis was done in seven hospitals to identify the incidence of dengue in the city. Pearson's correlation was used to determine the association between climatic factors and dengue incidence. Multiple regression analysis was also used as a statistical model. A total of 1,908 dengue cases were reported from January 2008 to September 2013. Majority of the patients belonged to the age group of 1-10 years. Maximum number of cases was seen in 2010 (398 cases) which was highest in the month of January (215 cases). Out of the total 1,908 cases, 821 (43.03%) were dengue hemorrhagic fever, 781 (40.93%) were dengue fever and 306 (16.04%) were dengue shock syndrome. Among the 51 Barangays in the City, Barangay Aguada has the highest number of 186 cases (9.75%). Of all climatic factors, only relative humidity has a positive correlation with dengue incidence. Vector control and education campaign needs should be assessed as these factors may significantly influence the occurrence of dengue in the city. Strategic plans and measures for dengue prevention need to be implemented targeting young population.

Ozamiz City is the center for health and people from nearby places choose to access its health services because of the available amenities for life-threatening conditions. With the increasing incidence of infectious diseases, compliance of nurses with standard precautions (SP) is necessary to control healthcare-associated infections. This study determined the compliance with SP of 100 nurses in two tertiary hospitals in Ozamiz City using a structured questionnaire that passed the Cronbach's alpha reliability test. The study utilized the Kruskal-Wallis H test, Mann-Whitney U test, and Pearson's correlation statistical models. Findings revealed a very high compliance among nurses in 82.6% of the SP. Older and male nurses assigned to pedia ward with more years of work experience and attended SP training exhibited better compliance to SP. Nurses who experienced needlestick injury, not exposed to patient's body fluids, and vaccinated with the hepatitis B virus also showed better compliance. The difference in compliance among nurses when grouped by profile was not statistically significant (p<0.05). The correlation between knowledge and compliance was not also significant. The findings could help the administrators identify areas for improvement in nosocomial infection control in hospitals in this part of Mindanao. Research design and instrumentThe study used the descriptive-inferential research design. The survey was conducted in Ozamiz City utilizing a questionnaire modified from the instrument developed by Luo et al. (2010). Integration of the compliance activity on handling injured skin, discarding sharps boxes, handling used linens, and transporting laboratory specimens was one of the modifications. Included also in the questionnaire is an item on the knowledge of nurses on the single use of syringes.The questionnaire consists of three parts. Part I gathered the profile of the respondents regarding age, gender, the area of assignment, years of work experience, and SP training. This section of the questionnaire also obtained data regarding needlestick injury of nurses, their exposure to patient's body fluids, and hepatitis B vaccination. Part II with 23 items investigated the respondent's compliance. This portion of the questionnaire used the five-point scale: 0 = never, 1 = seldom, 2 = sometimes, 3 = usually, and 4 = always. The Cronbach's alpha value of 0.78 suggests that the items are reliable. The weighted mean was calculated for each item and interpreted using the following scales: 3.20-4.00 (Very high compliance); 2.40-3.19 (High compliance); 1.60-2.39 (Moderate compliance); 0.80-1.59 (Low compliance); 0.00-0.79 (Very low compliance).Part III of the questionnaire consists of 25 items that assessed the respondent's knowledge about SP. The respondents chose 'yes' or 'no' for their answer. A value of 1 was given for the 'yes' answer and 0 for the 'no' answer. The value of 0.79 from Cronbach's alpha test suggests the reliability of the items. The mean rank determines the compliance of nurses when they are grouped...

In the health discipline, forecasting is gaining importance due to its capability of anticipating the spread of diseases. The Philippine government launched the dengue surveillance map to help detect the spread of the disease. However, technology-based solutions to forecast dengue cases do not exist in the country. This study aimed to forecast the possible outbreak of dengue in Ozamiz City from 2016 to 2020 using a web-based technology system that generates maps and allows the input of new records of dengue cases to update the forecasting patterns. This study utilized the Geographic Information System (GIS) to map the spread of dengue outbreak and the Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) to forecast the extent of dengue occurrence. The data included in this study were the dengue cases reported in seven hospitals in Ozamiz City on a monthly basis from January 2008 up to the second quarter of 2015. Based on the collected data, dengue incidence is lower in rural than in urban barangays. However, a rapid increase in dengue incidence in rural barangays is evident in the five-year forecast. This information can aid the community in designing and implementing preventive measures to address dengue epidemics during the forecasted year or season. Keywords : epidemics, health, map, outbreak, technology

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