Health officials have raised the red flag against dengue as the Cordillera recorded seven deaths due to the disease.
In Baguio, the City Health Services Office called on the barangays to activate their dengue brigades and conduct weekly clean-up drives to eliminate the breeding grounds of mosquitoes.
CHSO Epidemiology Surveillance Unit Head Donnabel Panes said Baguio recorded five deaths from the 416 cases recorded from Jan. 1 to July 17.
She said this is a three-fold increase from last year’s 103 cases.
Three of those who died were males aged 30, 11, and 15.
Clustering of cases has been noted in 19 barangays, among them Gabriela Silang, Puliwes, Camp 7, San Vicente, Loakan Proper, Loakan-Apugan, East Modern Site, Baka-keng, and South Sanitary Camp. Clustering occurs when more than two cases have been recorded in an area in a span of four weeks.
Benguet, meanwhile, recorded two dengue-related deaths since January.
CHSO Sanitation Division Head Charles Bryan Carame said the office has been going around the barangays to remind officials to encourage households to conduct daily cleanup and by mobilizing weekly barangay-wide cleanup drives.
He said the basic strategy against dengue is to search and destroy the breeding ground of mosquitoes, which is the first approach in the 4-S strategy against the disease.
Carame said without the breeding grounds; usually uncovered containers used for water storage and those indiscriminately left to collect water such as tires, soda caps, and other junk; there will be no vector that could transmit dengue.
Department of Health-Cordillera entomologist III Alexander Baday said the preventive measures against dengue have not changed and, like other strategies, need the cooperation of the public to make it work.
He said the public must participate in the 4-S strategy against dengue – search and destroy, self-protection, seek early consultation, and support spraying or fogging in the communities.
Baday said community spraying is not the ultimate solution to ending the disease.
“Spraying is only done to eliminate the infected mosquito. The best is still to really search for the breeding ground to arrest transmission,” he said.
He added this must be complemented by self-protection measures, such as wearing long sleeves and pants and applying mosquito repellent that are approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
Those who have fever for two days with headache and body pains must also seek consult immediately. – Jane B. Cadalig
April 27, 2024
