- CHERYL G. CRUZ
Councilor Em Legaspi Ang is pushing for urgent action and measures to prevent the further spread of dengue, following a recent drastic increase in cases in Bacolod City.
The latest report of the Bacolod City Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit showed that the city logged 707 dengue cases already with nine deaths, as of Aug. 27, Ang said in her resolution, adding that these cases are 230.4 percent higher compared to the 214 with only three deaths, in the same period last year.
“Severe dengue is a leading cause of serious illness and death, and early detection of disease progression and access to proper medical care can lower the fatality rate,” she said.
Ang urged the City Health Office, through the office of Mayor Alfredo Benitez, to take urgent action. “An intensified information and education campaign in the different barangays and other immediate measures and intervention must be taken to prevent the further spread of dengue and reduce mortality.”
The Department of the Interior and Local Government also rallied all local government units, particularly the barangays, to implement countermeasures, such as cleanup drives, to prevent the spread of dengue in communities.
DILG Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. said in a statement that the alarming increase of dengue cases, at 143 percent, must be tackled down to the grassroots level, especially that millions of students have gone back to face-to-face classes.
He said LGUs must step up their countermeasures in communities to reduce cases by the end of the year. “Dengue remains to be a public health threat and with the escalating cases in the country today, LGUs must take a proactive stance and implement strategies to protect our people in the communities from this deadly disease.”
The Department of Health said the 118,785 cases recorded from Jan. 1 to Aug. 13 translated to a 143 percent jump, and is a far cry from the 48,867 cases in the same period last year.
DOH data show that most dengue cases this year were reported in Central Luzon at 21,247, followed by Central Visayas with 11,390 cases, and the National Capital Region with 11,064. The death toll due to dengue across the country reached 400 last month.
In Western Visayas, there were 414 newly-reported dengue cases, as of Aug. 20, bringing the total to 10,899, or a 600 percent increase, compared to the 1,557 cases logged in the same period in 2021. Negros Occidental recorded 181 new cases, bringing the total to 3,648 with 24 deaths, from Jan. 1 to Aug. 20./CGC
