Dr. Agnes Realiza, head of the Lapu-Lapu City Health Office
LAPU-LAPU CITY, Philippines — The Lapu-Lapu City Government is intensifying its campaign against mosquitoes after the city recorded a rise in dengue cases.
Dr. Agnes Realiza, head of the City Health Office (CHO), told CDN Digital that from January 2022 up to the present, the city has already logged 667 dengue cases, including 12 deaths.
“So base sa RESU, as of May 7, naa ta’y kaso nga 438. So at present, base gani sa amoang investigation from other hospital at present, niabot nata ug 667 cases,” Realiza said.
In 2021, Realiza said that they have only recorded 18 dengue cases.
She said that due to the rise of dengue cases in the city, they are now conducting massive education drives to barangays to inform the public on how to prevent getting infected with the disease.
She added that CHO has already conducted meetings with health staff from different barangays, members of the Barangay Mayor’s Office, and barangay officials.
“Nag-meeting nata one month ago nga i-implement gyud ang 4S. At the same time miadto ta sa mga barangay kapitan nga magpatabang sumpo ug dengue, especially sa taas ug kaso nga barangay. I-reactivate pod ang ilang “ABAKADA or Action Barangay Kontra Dengue”,” she added.
4S are among the strategies implemented by the Department of Health (DOH), which stand for search and destroy, secure self-protection, seek early consultation, and support spraying or misting to prevent an outbreak.
Realiza also said that they’ve also been visiting subdivisions to conduct meetings and refresh homeowners on how to prevent the spread of dengue.
Among the barangays with the most number of dengue cases are Basak with 119 cases, Mactan-58 cases, Pusok-46 cases, Canjulao-45 cases, Bankal-43 cases, Gun-ob-42 cases, Calawisan-32-cases, Pajo-31-cases, Buaya-30 cases, and Pajac-29 cases.
She added that they have also been distributing larvicidal to kill mosquito larvae and conduct fogging upon request of barangays.
Mayor Junard “Ahong” Chan, for his part, also urged the public to always clean their surroundings and destroy the breeding sites of mosquitoes.
“Ang uban naa sa mga plastic bottles nga open, mao gyud na’y kasagaran. So mao na ang atong panawagan sa atong mga kaigsuonan nga manglimpyo gyud tang tanan kay ang dengue ania sa atoa sa Lapu-Lapu,” Chan said. /rcg
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