BY: ROI LOMOTAN
DUMAGUETE CITY, June 18 (PIA) --- The Integrated Provincial Health Officer (IPHO) in Negros Oriental has reported a 76 percent decline in the number of dengue cases reported in the province from January to June this year.
Dr. Edgardo Barredo, IPHO Assistant Provincial Health Officer, disclosed that his office has recorded 376 dengue cases during the first half of this year.
Two deaths were reported in Dumaguete City and Bais City, respectively.
This is big drop to the number of cases (1,586) recorded during the same period last year.
Dumaguete City ranks first among the cities and municipalities, recording the most number of dengue victims with 58 validated cases by the City Health Office.
It is followed by Sibulan town with 48 cases; Tanjay City, 34; Guihulngan City, 22; Bacong , 19; San Jose, 15; Amlan, 14; Bais City, 13; and Siaton and Valencia with eight cases each.
Even though Dumaguete City was cited with the highest percentage of dengue victims for this year,City Health Officer Dr. Maria Sarah Talla said the 58 validated cases from January to May 2014 showed a big decline from the 644 dengue incidents reported in 2013.
Talla added that the month of January yielded high number of dengue victims with 30 cases listed.
It is because of the rains experienced during that month, she said.
The month of May had the lowest with three cases
The big drop of dengue cases in Dumaguete City and in the province is attributed to the hot summer season, but Dr. Barredo added that another factor is the public’s continued cooperation in dengue prevention measures.
“The communities or the barangay people are now instituting preventive measures like clean-up drives,” Dr. Barredo said during a Kapihan Forum here today.
However, Dr. Talla urged the public to be vigilant this rainy season which is also the start of dengue season.
Talla noted that the dengue prevention campaign of the city government is focused on elementary school kids to instill in them the practice of 4 o’ clock habit as a way of preventing the spread of dengue carrying mosquitoes.
The 4 o’ clock habit is a strategy developed by the Department of Health (DOH) that reminds people to dedicate 4:00 pm everyday as a time to look for breeding sites for dengue-carrying mosquitoes and have a systematic way of destroying them.
Aside from these, Talla also reminded the public of the 4s Kontra Dengue Strategy which stands for Search and Destroy, Seek early consultation, Self protective measures and say no to indiscriminate fogging.
Dr. Barredo, meanwhile, mentioned some government interventions in dengue prevention such as the distribution of “Aksyon Barangay Kontra Dengue” tarpaulins to barangays for enhanced information dissemination on dengue prevention to grassroots level.
The IPHO also organized Provincial Dengue Task Force and the Barangay Dengue Surveillance Team which monitors dengue incidents in different communities.
With this, the two health officials continued to make a call for the public to do all necessary precautions to prevent the spread of dengue fever this rainy season.
They stressed that the best way to destroy breeding grounds of dengue carrying mosquitoes is having a clean environment.
In this light, Dumaguete City Government will have a clean-up drive in different barangays on June 21, 2014.
Just recently, DOH started its Anti-Dengue Caravan in the northern part of the province and will culminate on June 20 with a motorcade in the city and a short program in South City Elementary School, Brgy. Mangnao.
The caravan aims to heighten public’s awareness on dengue fever and the measures to prevent it. (rmn/ral/PIA7-NegOr)