Dengue in Cebu City: Impose measures vs disease, city health dep’t urged

Dengue in Cebu City: Impose measures vs disease, city health dep’t urged

Dengue

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Two Cebu City councilors have penned their resolutions concerning the mitigation measures to combat the probable rise in dengue cases during this rainy season.

On Wednesday, during the council’s regular session, Councilor Jose Lorenzo Abellanosa requested the City Health Department (CHD) to report to the City Council regarding the measures it would implement this rainy season to “address and mitigate the probable rise in dengue cases” in the city.

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Abellanosa said in his resolution that dengue was an endemic disease that would be a great problem for the health of the general public.

He said that dengue cases were already up during the El Niño phenomenon and dengue cases would possibly be more prevalent with the advent of La Niña which would bring heavy rainfall and severe floods which were deemed to create perfect conditions for mosquitoes to thrive and spread the dengue virus.

Information campaign

Meanwhile, Councilor Rey Gealon, also requested the CHD to conduct an information, education, and communication campaign to increase public awareness and prevention and control of the spread of dengue cases in Cebu City.

Gealon also requested the health department to conduct dengue brigades in Cebu City barangays to lessen the number of dengue cases in the city.

In the resolution, Gealon highlighted the importance of a dengue brigade to encourage citizens in barangays to clean homes and dispose of materials or possible containers where mosquitos might breed and prevent the rise in dengue cases.

Moreover, given that dengue is included in the diseases under the acronym “WILD” which stands for water and food-borne diseases, influenza, leptospirosis, and dengue, Gealon also requested the barangay officials through the Association of Barangay Councils to issue warning against WILD.

“[This is] in order for the public to take precautions and effectively prevent the spread of these diseases,” Gealon said.

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He said that the barangays could engage more with the community they serve as the basic political authority. The CHD through these barangays would raise awareness of WILD diseases, and the precautions necessary to avoid diseases.

“Community cooperation is of great importance in the prevention of the spread of the disease,” Gealon said in one of his resolutions.

In Central Visayas, dengue cases have reached 7,132 with 19 deaths for the first six months of the year, data from the Department of Health here (DOH-7) showed.

According to an official from DOH-7, the cases were recorded from January 1 to June 15 2024; and the LGU that has the most cases was Inabanga in Bohol with 424 cases, Tagbilaran City, Bohol 230; Danao City, Cebu 156; Toledo City 144; and Buena Vista, Bohol 134.

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