Zamboanga on alert as dengue cases rise

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines - The local health office in Zamboanga City has raised the dengue alert to an alarming level as the disease-carrying mosquitoes have almost spread in all of the 98 barangays in the city, killing six since May.

Dr. Rodelyn Agbulos of the City Health Office (CHO) said the number of dengue cases have already reached 448 for the month of June compared to only 379 cases on the same period last year.

“This seemed to be an alarming situation because the figure was increasing and almost majority of the barangays have been affected,” Agbulos said.

He said the city needs to be alarmed, citing the Department of Health (DOH)  observation that rising cases of dengue trends every two years and this year falls under the second year where cases rise.

“We are in the alert level and we don’t want to reach the epidemic threshold,” the local health official said citing the dengue case in this city reached the epidemic level in 2012. 

Mayor Ma. Isabelle Climaco-Salazar directed the village officials in the entire city to intensify the cleanliness drive which the health official said is the only way to neutralize the breeding ground of the dengue-carrying mosquitoes.