Why Lapu-Lapu’s dengue figures don’t match

LAPU-Lapu city ss tagged the second highest in dengue cases in Central Visayas this year.

Efforts to control mosquito populations continue across the region but  the surveillance results of the Department of Health (DOH) arent’always accepted by local officials.

Their figures of dengue cases don’t always match.

Dr. Rodulfo Berame, Lapu-Lapu City Health Officer, hasn’t released any official figure from his end, but insisted there were less than 100 cases this year, not 256 cases as reported by the DOH for the period January to October.

“We don’t count suspected dengue cases as dengue cases the way hospitals in the city are doing.  It’s their data that is submitted to the Regional Epidemiological and Surveillance Unit 7 (Resu-7),” he said.

“Dili gyud magtakdo ang among data (Our data won’t coincide with their data),” said Berame.

Berame said he doesn’t believe Lapu-Lapu city has the second highest incidence of dengue in Central Visayas.

“I think, we’re the only local  government unit in Cebu province that gave  impregnated mosquito nets and to schools and insecticide-soaked curtains to households,” Berame said in Cebuano.

He gave no figures to counter the data from Resu-7.

Berame said he couldn’t release their data on dengue cases in the city yet because it was still being updated.

He said the number has not reached an alarming rate because of the city’s year-round dengue campaign in schools and households.

Berame confirmed there was one fatality, a boy  from barangay Canjulao who died in the second half of September.

He said the city health office  has its own monitoring and need not report to Resu-7.

Rennan Cimafranca,  Resu-7 chief, earlier said the dengue data from Lapu-Lapu was collected from hospitals in the city since none was submitted by the city health office.

He urged all local health units to submit regular reports to the DOH so that adequate measures can be taken in case an outbreak occurs.

“It is also stated in the Law on Reporting Notifiable Diseases that they need to submit reports to us,” Cimafranca told Cebu Daily News.

A local health office can only declare an outbreak if they have surveillance systems like the RESU-7.

“It is not only Lapu-Lapu City that does not send regular reports, there are other places in the region, too,” Cimafranca added.

Cebu City tops the list with the most dengue cases in municipalities and cities in the region with 844 cases and 6 deaths from January to October this year.

However, no dengue outbreak has been declared by Resu-7 in any part of  Cebu.

This will happen only there is an unusual increase of cases and deaths.

DOH-7 has been monitoring the towns of Daanbantayan, Balamban and Badian along with barangay Guadalupe, Cebu City that has cluster cases of dengue of  2-3 cases every week.

In Central Visayas, OH-7 has declared an outbreak in Guihulngan City and Sagbayan, Bohol.

Guihulngan City ranks fourth in the region and has 211 cases while Sagbayan ranks third with 224 cases and one death.