Capitol warns public to be wary against rainy season-related diseases

The public are encouraged to implement measures to avoid rainy season diseases like cleaning surroundings to prevent the dengue carrying mosquitoes from breeding in your areas. | Inquirer file photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — With the nationwide dengue alert declaration of the health department, the Cebu provincial government has called on the public to raise their awareness against diseases common during the rainy season.

The Provincial Board (PB) adopted the resolution sponsored by sixth district Board Member Thadeo Jovito Ouano asking the public to take measures against the wet season-related diseases by following precautions set by the Department of Health and local government units in their information drives.

Dengue is among the diseases common in the rainy season as the stagnant water in the surroundings become suitable breeding grounds for dengue-carrying mosquitoes.

Read more: Bernadas: Cleanliness still the best prevention vs dengue infection

Dr. Jaime Bernadas, DOH-7 director, earlier cautioned the public to clean their surroundings to prevent the spread of dengue-carrying mosquitoes.

DOH-7’s Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (RESU) has already recorded 9,594 cases of dengue with 62 deaths from January 1 until July 31, 2019. This is 151 percent higher than the reported cases during the same period last 2018.

The other illnesses common during the rainy season are typhoid fever, cholera, leptospirosis and diarrhea.

A person, who has an open wound and will come in contact with water water that has animal urine like the waters during floods, can possibly get sick of leptospirosis.

Diarrhea, typhoid fever and cholera, on the other hand, are food-borne diseases. Hence, the public is encouraged to be more careful in handling food./dbs