July started with barangay officials spearheading denguerra (war against dengue) on July 1, intensively overturning and removing water-retaining containers, receptacles, and plants.
Denguerra is implemented in all barangays with the participation of the community, City Hall employees and volunteers with emphasis on the 39 barangays with clustering of cases: Bakakeng Norte, Irisan, Bakakeng Central, Loakan proper, SLU-SVP, San Luis Village, Lucnab, Asin road, Kias, Pinget, Camp 7, Gibraltar, San Vicente, Aurora Hill South Central, St. Joseph Village, Pacdal, Pinsao Proper, Fairview Village, Dontogan, Pinsao Pilot Project, Trancoville, Outlook Drive, Sto. Tomas Proper, Quirino Magsaysay, Ambiong, Guisad Central, Lower Rock Quarry, Balsigan, Country Club Village, City Camp Proper, Happy Hallow, Lower Quirino Hill, Malvar-Floresca, Guisad Surong, Ferdinand Happy Homes, Victoria Village, P. Burgos, Sto. Niño, and Engineers Hill.
As to culled data since 2002, a cyclic epidemic occurs with cases rising every four years, and later every three years. In 2002, there were 77 cases; 2003 – 343; 2004 – 250; 2005 – 397; 2006 – 927; 2007 – 468; 2008 – 366; 2009 – 308; 2010 – 1,191; 2011 – 480; 2012 – 715; and 2013 a meteoric rise to 1,866 cases.
In 2014, cases went down to only 373, in 2015 there were 1,688 and in 2016, an increase of 2,808 cases.
In 2017, cases were down to 934; 2018 – 1,393; 2019 – 1,136; 2020 – 1,491; 2021 – 1,938; with 706 cases as of June 30.
Reporting of cases has improved as 15 private laboratories are sharing their data since last April, City Epidemiology and Surveillance Unity head Donna Panes said in the recent management committee meeting.
According to Health Services Office Sanitary Division head Charles Carame, a rise in cases is foreseen in July, with the onset of the rainy season and due to the cyclic epidemic phenomenon.
To avert such occurrence, Oplan Taob and denguerra, with intensive house to house search and destroy operations are being done, Carame said.
From the regional data for Jan. 1 to June 18, cases are on the rise; with Apayao, Baguio, Benguet, and Ifugao above epidemic threshold. Kalinga and Mountain Province are not included, though as a whole, the Cordillera is 289 percent above the epidemic threshold.
Data for the country shows that from January to May this year, there are 27,686 cases with 150 deaths; while the same period last year yielded 27,464 cases. – Julie G. Fianza
