Dengue hits 25 city brgys

 CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu City Health Department  has officially declared a dengue outbreak in 25 barangays in Cebu City due to the rising number of dengue cases.

Cebu City Health Officer  Dr. Stella Ygonia said that they are now intensifying campaign to alleviate the situation. 

Ygonia said that due to the rains last week, the dengue-causing mosquitoes have proliferated.The 25  barangays with the most dengue cases are  Guadalupe, Kalubihan, Cogon Ramos, Sto. Niño, Bacayan, Sambag 1,  Sta. Cruz, San Nicolas,  Zapatera, Pit-os,  San Antonio,  Kamagayan, Pasil, Kamputhaw, Pahina Central, Ermita, Tinago,Sapangdaku, Ina-yawan, Suba,  Capitol Site, T. Padilla, Mabolo and  Cogon Pardo and Pahina-San Nicolas.

Barangays Adlaon, Binaliw, Bonbon, Budla-an, Cambinocot, Mabini, Pung-ol, San Jose, Sudlon I, Tagbao and To-ong each has one case of dengue recorded.

Based on the record released by the City Epidemiology Statistics Surveillance Unit, there were already a total of 1,642 cases with seven deaths from January 1 to July 14 this year.

This is 106.26 percent higher than last year’s  796 cases.  Ygonia added that they will be asking for funds from the city government to be used in the information drive against dengue.

 Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama is urging the public to clean their surroundings to help stop the increase of dengue cases. 

Meanwhile, the Department of Health-Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit issued anew several recommendations to the local government units, local health units, government and private hospitals, school authorities and the general public in order to minimize dengue.DOH-RESU reported that Central Visayas has a total of 4,574 cases with 25 deaths from January 1 to July 14 this year.

Records show that Cebu City has the most number of dengue cases with 2,098 cases with 10 deaths followed by Dumaguete City with 291 cases with one death.

Minglanilla  has 221 cases and one death while Lapu-Lapu City recorded 201 cases with three deaths.

Talisay City has 184 cases, Liloan  has 119 cases with one death, Mandaue City has 88 cases, Bayawan City  has 82 cases, Toledo City  has 67 cases and Maria  has 61 cases.

DOH-RESU is encouraging local government units to intensify information campaign on dengue emphasizing the importance of eliminating the breeding places of mosquitoes and mobilize the community to actively participate in environmental sanitation activities such as clean-up drives as well as the establishment of dengue brigade in barangays.

Local health units are also encouraged to initiate clean-up drive campaigns in communities, sustain disease surveillance on dengue and to notify RESU on increase of dengue cases. Government and private hospitals are also encouraged to strictly follow dengue clinical treatment protocol and activate dengue fast lanes.

 School authorities are also encouraged to emphasize school-based programs targetting parents and children in schools to eliminate breeding places at home and in the school as well as create “dengue school brigades” and support its sustainability. — with reports from Sanden J. Anadia of Banat News/MBG