ILOILO – Village officials in the province should re-initiate anti-dengue brigades to prevent the spread of the mosquito-borne disease especially after records from the Provincial Health Office (PHO) showed increase in its number of cases.
PHO head Dr. Patricia Grace Trabado on Friday said village officials and residents must take part in the Aksyon Barangay Kontra Dengue (ABKD) campaign.
ABKD calls for daily cleanups in every village in Iloilo. It promotes the 4S Strategy against dengue – “search and destroy” mosquito breeding places, “secure self-protection” from mosquito bite, “seek early consultation” when signs and symptoms of dengue occur, and “say yes to fogging” as a last resort when there is a looming outbreak.
In the first quarter last year (January to March), the PHO recoded 216 cases of dengue with zero deaths.
In the same period this year, the office recorded 1,088 cases with four deaths.
“That [posts] a 405-percent difference,” said Trabado.
The component city of Passi has the most number of dengue cases with 118. Pototan followed with 113; Calinog with 68; Pavia with 54; and Bingawan with 53.
Not a single local government unit in the province was spared from dengue in the first quarter this year, said Trabado. All have dengue patients admitted to rural health units or hospitals.
Based on the PHO data, dengue hit most of patients aged 1 to 10 years old (565 cases).
Trabado said engaging in clean-up activities is one effective way to reduce the number of dengue cases.
She added that residents must also learn to properly store water.
“They should make sure that water containers are covered. They should also wash the containers as eggs of dengue-carrying mosquitoes stick to its edges,” Trabado said. (With a report from PNA/PN)
