ILOILO City – The 180 barangays here are being pressed to create their respective anti-dengue task forces.
The Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) recently approved an ordinance ordering this to address the spread of dengue, a mosquito-borne illness.
Councilor Candice Magdalene Tupas, chairperson of the SP Committee on Health as well as the author of the ordinance, said the task forces could also be tapped to institute activities that could help curb the spread of other diseases such as zika (also a mosquito-borne disease), avian flu and measles.
The task forces’ primary job is to spearhead community cleanup activities that should deprive mosquitoes of their breeding places, and enhance public awareness on the disease and how it can be prevented.
Dengue mosquitoes breed and live in clear, stagnant water.
Tupas said an ordinance institutionalizing the task forces is needed to ensure that they consistently function as intended.
At present, she said, even weekly community cleanup activities suffer from scant public participation.
Each task force will be composed of the barangay captain as chairperson, kagiawad (councilman) who sits as chair of the committee on health as co-chair, and mothers, elderly residents and those who want to help as members.
The City Health Office (CHO) has been advising the public to keep their surroundings clean and eradicate stagnant water.
According to CHO chief Dr. Bernard Caspe, there were 474 dengue cases with six deaths from January to April this year.
This is 409.7 percent higher than the 93 dengue cases without death recorded in the same period last year, said Caspe.
“Clean your house not only on Saturdays but every day. Do not wait for barangay officials to clean your surroundings, you should do it yourself,” he stressed./PN
