The rainy months in Baguio directly impacts public health, particularly the rise in wet season illnesses such as dengue.
As a long-term mitigating measure, the City Health Services Office continues to conduct its war against dengue mosquito campaign called “Denguerra Thursday” where simultaneous clean-up activities are encouraged per household as well as in the barangays.
The campaign is even included as one of the criteria in the monitoring of Best Performing Barangays, specifically on Sanitation Category, according to CHSO Sanitation Division Chief Charles Bryan Carame.
Baguio City recorded 543 dengue cases with one death from January to July this year.
More than half or 51.93 percent comprising 282 individuals of the total cases are male while 48.07 percent or 261 individuals are female. Age ranges from less than a year old to 95 with a median age of 18.
Top 10 barangays with dengue cases are Irisan with 54, Camp 7 with 26, Bakakeng Central with 25, San Vicente with 20, Pinget with 19, Asin Road with 18, Pinsao Proper with 17, Bakakeng North with 16, Santo Tomas Proper with 14, and Gibraltar with 13.
Based on the monitoring of the City Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit, dengue cases in the city decreased compared to the same period last year wherein 1,804 dengue cases were recorded.
Denguerra Thursday was launched in June last year calling for an intensive search and destroy activity by the community by emptying and overturning containers, cans, bottles, drums, tires and receptacles which may turn to be breeding places of mosquitoes.
Dengue symptoms are headache, vomiting, bleeding, rashes, fever, joint pains, fatigue, and pain behind the eyes, among others.
The CHSO advises the public to seek medical consultation in the nearest health center or any of the hospitals for immediate attention when symptoms arise. – Jessa Mardy P. Samidan
