Tuesday, July 03, 2007 Number of dengue cases in Minglanilla drops
IT is still too early to say if dengue cases in Minglanilla have already been controlled but Department of Health (DOH) 7 Director Susana Madarieta said the cases have already decreased.
A total of 58 dengue cases in the town were recorded since the start of the year, with six deaths. This is 21 percent higher compared to the same period last year, according to a report by the Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (Resu).
“For the month of June, dengue cases surged beyond the expected range and exceeded the epidemic threshold,” the report read.
This prompted officials to declare a dengue outbreak in the town.
All six fatalities in the municipality died in June.
Barangay Tulay recorded the most number of cases with 23 percent. Barangay Tungkop followed with 21 percent, Pakigne with 14 percent and Poblacion Ward 2 recorded 10 percent.
Assembly
The outbreak investigation is ongoing and officials are looking into the environmental problems of the area.
DOH, the Minglanilla Municipal Government, and the Provincial Health Office held a community assembly in at least six barangays affected by the dengue outbreak from Saturday until yesterday. The monitoring of cases also continues.
Aside from Barangays Tulay, Tungkop, Pakigne and Poblacion Ward 2, the other areas considered in the assembly are Poblacion Wards 3 and 4.
But this week, the assembly will be extended to the other barangays in Minglanilla.
The assembly includes health education, surveillance, and environmental sanitation.
While it is a sorry situation for the town, Madarieta hopes that this is a way to make people realize the extent of the problem.
Keeping clean
“At least there will be an increase in awareness especially with the declaration of a dengue outbreak. Hopefully makamata na sila (the residents will realize) and do something about it,” said Madarieta.
She was referring to keeping the environment clean and avoiding storage of water without putting a lid on containers.
In Metro Cebu, Ming-lanilla has always been an area of concern when it comes to dengue, said Madarieta.
“These are urban mosquitoes (aedis egypti). They stay in urban or congested areas,” she said.
In 2006, Minglanilla ranked seventh in the most number of dengue cases in the region. This year, it ranked third.
The neighboring town of Naga was an earlier cause of concern, though not in epidemic proportions, when the municipality recorded three deaths in June.
However, the municipality did not figure in the top ten in the number of dengue cases this year, unlike last year when it ranked eighth in the region.
A total of 889 dengue cases were recorded in the region since the start of the year until June 30. There were 24 deaths reported.
This is 26 percent lower compared to the same period last year, which recorded 1,201 cases with 24 deaths.
Majority of the cases were from Cebu City, which has 20 percent of the cases. (JGA)
