LGUs told to intensify anti-dengue campaign

CEBU, Philippines - The Department of the Interior and Local Government has issued a directive to all provincial governors, city and municipal mayors, and barangay captains for an intensified information and education campaign on dengue fever and appropriate preventive and control measures.

The National Epidemiology Center of the Department of Health has reported a total of 40,648 dengue cases in different sentinel hospitals nationwide from January 1 to July 31, 2010, which is 48 percent higher than the 27,472 cases recorded for the same period last year.

For Central Visayas, DOH-7 regional director Susana Madarieta said more than 3,000 dengue cases were recorded.

She said that majority of those who were infected with dengue were children aged six to nine years old.

“With the onslaught of the rainy seasons, we expect that the number of dengue cases will increase in the next few months,” Madarieta said.

According to the DOH Central Office within the said period, most of the cases came from Central Mindanao (5,259), Western Visayas (4,511), Eastern Visayas (4,086), CALABARZON (4,034), Southern Mindanao (3,875), Northern Mindanao (3,603) and the National Capital Region (3,452).

DOH-Central Office added that ages of cases ranged from less than a month to 95 years old.Majority or 52 percent of the cases were male.

Madarieta also said that it needs community effort to prevent the spread of dengue and follow the “Four S” method, which stands for “search and destroy”, “seek early treatment”, “self-protective measures” and “say no to indiscriminate fogging”.

DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo said that local executives should enforce environmental sanitation such as dredging of clogged canals, esteros and other waterways; pruning of thick bushes or tree branches; and removal or draining of receptacles containing stagnant water.

He also reminded local officials not to conduct indiscriminate fogging unless there was an outbreak of the disease in their areas.

Madarieta said that fogging is only necessary when there is an outbreak in a specific area. Fogging is also not effective in killing mosquito larvae.

Some of the symptoms of dengue are sudden onset of high fever which may last from two to seven days; joint and muscle pains including pain behind the eyes; weakness; skin rashes; bleeding through the nose and abdominal pain.

There are currently no vaccines for dengue.

Meanwhile, in the hopes of putting a stop to the rising dengue cases in her area, Lawaan 3 Barangay Captain Delia Ybañez said she is set to make another request to the Talisay City hall asking it to conduct mist-blowing operations in her barangay.

Ybañez said the move has to be done as soon as possible considering that more and more of her constituents have reportedly been infected by dreaded disease.

It was earlier reported seven young children in sitio Upper Cadicay were infected, but have since recovered.

The barangay has recorded one fatality, however, with the death of two-year-old Guada Marie Nahine of sitio San Jose.The girl died of complications from the disease while being treated at the South General Hospital in Naga City last week.

The barangay chief said the area where the girl lives has stagnant water where mosquitoes could be breeding.

Two days later, another two-year-old, Jennelyn Narvasa of sitio Upper Cadicay, also reportedly succumbed to the same disease.

Official reports from the City Health Office showed that although the child had fever before she died, her death was actually caused by dehydration, confirmed Ybañez.

For the past few years, the city has implemented through its anti-dengue task force a different type of fumigation technique it dubbed as mist-blowing wherein a water-based substance is placed in a machine, almost similar to that traditional fogging equipment, and emits mist which reportedly kills mosquitoes and their larvae.

For this year, the CHO has reported 137 dengue cases and two fatalities from January to June, and Nahine was the third dengue fatality. (THE FREEMAN)