Dengue cases fall
Dengue cases are on a downward trend, and should it follow last year’s cyclic pattern, numbers in the coming days shall taper off up to the end of this year.
This was reported by Health Services Office (HSO) head Dr. Rowena Galpo during the management committee meeting last week, with the presence of City Administrator Bonifacio de la Pena and city hall department heads.
This, despite having 72 barangays with clustered Dengue cases from the 64 reported earlier. As of date, there are two deaths recorded and 1721 cases (47 new) as compared to 6 deaths and 745 cases, the same period last year.
The HSO continues to monitor the barangay-based Denguerra, Dr. Galpo said, with grassroot officials and residents doing the intensive search and destroying mosquitoes’ breeding areas on Thursdays. Earlier and for the whole month of July, city government employees joined Denguerra Thursdays, being assigned in barangays where cases are quite high.
A decrease in reported Dengue cases signifies the effectiveness of Denguerra, wherein receptacles and containers filled with water are overturned, and water-retaining plants are either emptied or cut off.
According to City Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (CESU) head Dr. Donabel Tubera Panes, studies show that Dengue-carrying mosquitoes favor clean water than turbid bodies of water, and that destruction of said species is best during the mosquito egg/water stage.
Used tires which may contain water and harbor mosquito breeding places are collected for livelihood or useful enterprise. Since June up to date, the General Services Office has 2,618 tires from 49 barangays, as reported by GS Officer Eugene Buyucan.
As to observation and monitoring, barangays without Dengue cases and few breeding sites accredit this to good local leadership, supervised, monitored and regular barangay-based clean-ups, intensive search and destroy, and Oplan Taob.
All efforts from government agencies, private entities and residents are done to bring down the number of Dengue cases. In the regional data presented where the whole CAR increased at 203% above epidemic threshold; only Abra province registered a decrease, at 68%. Apayao, Baguio City, Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga and Mt. Province all registered an increase, ranging from 35% to 6008% depending on the threshold figures in 2021. This is from January up to July, morbidity week one up to week thirty. – Julie G. Fianza
