SAN JOSE, Antique – The provincial government here has created a task force that will focus on curbing cases of dengue and other vector-borne diseases.
Dr. Leoncio Abiera, Jr. of the Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO) said on Wednesday that Gov. Rhodora Cadiao is set to sign the Executive Order creating the Antique Provincial Task Force on Dengue and other Vector-Borne Diseases.
“So long as there is a mosquito dengue vector, there will be dengue cases so we need to work together to address it,” he said.
He already convened members of the task force composed of heads and representatives of the different provincial government offices, national government agencies with provincial offices in Antique and the local media to help them address the concern on dengue
He said the IPHO cannot address the dengue cases alone, that is why it is soliciting the help of every sector especially September is still a rainy month.
Based on IPHO’s monitoring from Jan. 1 to Aug. 31, dengue cases reached 2,060 with 10 deaths this year.
The figures showed a 137-percent increase; higher compared to last year’s 875 cases with only three deaths in the same.
Provincial Board (PB) member Dr. Mayella Mae Plameras-Ladislao, chairwomen of the PB’s Committee on Health urged the public to be proactive in fighting the mosquito-borne disease.
“We need to arm ourselves as we go out to address dengue,” she said.
She added that the plan should be formulated on how the task force could help in addressing dengue cases.
Meanwhile, Marnie Payne of the Office of Antique Rep. Loren Legarda said they would ask the Department of Education-Antique to provide the data as to how many school children have to be given knee socks.
“We have already initial data but we need the complete list,” she said.
Knee socks will be provided to students as part of their preventive measures in schools.
Legarda’s office also requested from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources for fishes known to be mosquito larvae predator to be released in canals.
Department of Environment and Natural Resources chief of Enforcement Section Beverly Salvan said a weekly cleanup is being done at the Bagumbayan Creek in San Jose de Buenavista.
A similar activity is also being done quarterly in different parts of Antique that aimed to search and destroy mosquito-breeding places.
The task force is planning to consolidate all its activities and have regular meetings aimed to curb dengue cases. (With a report from PNA/PN)