THE City Government in Iloilo City has mobilized all health centers to be on alert against the spread of dengue fever.

It also wishes to sustain advocacy against the disease brought by virus carrying mosquitoes.

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City mayor Jerry P. Treñas said that personnel of the city health office are on alert 24 hours a day as the city faces the war against dengue fever and other respiratory diseases brought by climate change and the rainy season.

Treñas pointed to the new city health station along Tanza Street as a main sentinel against dengue for 45 barangays in the city proper. Another new health center will soon be completed at the waterfront barangays, also in the city proper.

Aside from the main city health office, other health centers mobilized against dengue are dispersed in the districts of Jaro, La Paz, Mandurriao, Arevalo and Molo tasked to serve the public health needs of residents.

Medical Officer Dr. Mae Delmo reported that from January to September this year, a total of 102 cases and three deaths in 57 barangays due to dengue were reported to the CHO. The figure is much lower as compared to the same period in 2007 which posted a total of 320 cases and 16 deaths.

The CHO recorded a total of 384 cases and 22 deaths from January to December 2007. Delmo said the decrease of dengue cases is mainly attributed to increase public awareness through the local media about the disease and carrying mosquitoes Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus.

The decrease in the number of cases was also due to the many health interventions posted by the City Government such as cleanliness of the surroundings and destruction of mosquitoes' breeding places and proper solid waste disposal in the barangays.

The most affected barangays as of September 2008 are 14 in La Paz district with 32 cases, 11 barangays in Jaro I with 20 cases, 9 barangays in the city proper with 17 cases, 9 barangays in Molo with 13 cases, 7 barangays in Mandurriao with 12 cases, 4 barangays in Arevalo with 4 cases and 3 barangays in Jaro II with 5 cases.

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(October 7, 2008 issue)
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