Regional dengue summit set here for Saturday

CEBU, Philippines - The region-wide Dengue Summit is set on Saturday afternoon at the Cebu Grand Hotel sponsored by the Rotary International and the Cebu Medical Society.

This is in preparation for a year-round district-wide Anti-Dengue Larviciding implementation to start in August.

District Dengue Task Force chairman Dr. Wyben Briones launched the 4th Larvicide Anti-Dengue campaign last June 8.

“This is a working summit, this is no longer promotion,” said Briones at the 888 News Forum at Marco Polo Plaza yesterday.

Briones of the Rotary Club of Cebu Port Center has led other Rotary Clubs and other civic organizations in the larvicide anti-dengue campaign for the past three years.

Just recently, Briones and Rotary Club of Cebu Midtown president Jack Torrejos signed an agreement with Director Carmelita Dulangon of the Department of Education-7 to jointly conduct the anti-dengue larvicide campaign.

Briones said that they are inviting city and municipal mayors of the Province of Cebu and some neighboring provinces, municipal health officers, head of the barangay health units, civic and religious organizations and schools.

He said that 44,000 teachers are set to attend the summit in order to teach school children how to apply the larvicide.

At least three anti-larvicide campaigns are already set for the Province of Cebu on August 17 and 18, 2013; October 26 and 27, 2013 and on January 4 and 5, 2014 before the Sinulog Festival to prevent pilgrims from bringing the dengue virus when they return to their respective places.

Briones also announced that they received a grant from the Rotary International Foundation enough to purchase 8,000 kilograms of anti-dengue larvicide.

These will be distributed at 100 kilograms to each rural health unit in the Province and Metro Cebu and 50 kilograms to each of the schools.

Briones stressed that although the government is not financially supporting their project, the support of the health authorities is already a big help.

He said that their activity is becoming bigger and he hopes that this will become a national project.—(FREEMAN)