FEWER dengue cases have been reported in Cebu City so far this year, with the number of deaths dropping by as much as 73 percent from last year.
From 11 deaths recorded between Jan. 1 and July 13 last year, the Cebu City Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit of the City Health Department recorded only three deaths in the same period this year.
A total of 297 confirmed dengue cases have been recorded so far, or a decrease of five cases from last year’s 303 cases.
Barangays Lahug and Inayawan, which have 15 and five cases, respectively, were already declared dengue hotspots in the city. (Hotspots are areas where the number of dengue cases has been increasing for two or more consecutive weeks.)
Assistant City Epidemiologist Durinda Macasocol said the house-to-house monitoring by the barangay health workers helped them contain dengue infection in the city.
The City Health Department also visited the neighborhood of dengue patients immediately after receiving the report on a new dengue case.
“Whether it’s a suspected or a confirmed case, we sent out a team to do larvecide spraying in the patient’s house and their neighbors’ to make sure we contain the number of cases and we prevent further infection,” Macasocol told Sun.Star Cebu.
The barangay health workers also intensified their information campaign on dengue prevention in the communities where there is a reported case.
Next to Lahug, Barangays Quiot and Banawa have the most number of cases with 14 each so far this year, followed by Bulacao and Tejero with 13 cases each and Carreta and Apas with 12 cases each.
Barangays Bacayan and Mabolo reported 11 cases each.
In Lahug, only Gorordo Ave. and Nivel Hills area were declared hotspots while in Inayawan, the hotspot is limited to F. Jaca St.
Macasocol said dengue cases in the city can be contained if the entire city religiously practices the “4S” in the anti-dengue Campaign.
She reminded the public to 1) search and destroy breeding sites of dengue-carrying mosquitoes, and to 2) seek early consultation for any sign of illness, particularly fever.
Macasocol also urged the public to adopt 3) self-protection measures, such as wearing pants and long-sleeved shirts and putting on mosquito repellants.
The fourth S, she said, is to say no to fogging, unless a dengue outbreak is declared in the community. (LCR)
