Thursday, February 07, 2008 More dengue deaths in city
A “STATE of continuing calamity” was declared in the entire Cebu City yesterday after the City Council learned that deaths due to dengue fever last month was four times higher than the number in the same period last year.
With the declaration, the council can now tap the City Government’s P87 million calamity funds for emergency and disaster response.
Aside from medical supplies, several other projects and purchases have already been lined up, including road repair works, equipment purchases and other supplies that were supposed to have been purchased last year yet.
Councilor Gerardo Carillo originally proposed to declare a state of preparedness but after hearing the updates on the campaign against dengue fever, Vice Mayor Michael Rama and other councilors pushed for the declaration of a state of calamity instead.
The City Health Department recorded 143 dengue cases from Jan. 1 to Feb. 2 this year with eight deaths, which is four times higher than last year’s figures.
During the same period last year, there were only two deaths out of the 85 cases recorded.
Calamity
“Intelligent people might make a mockery of our actions here if we only declare a state of preparedness because the data that has just been presented would show you that there is already a calamity,” Rama told the council yesterday.
Last Oct. 5, the council declared a state of calamity in the entire city after an alarming increase in the number of dengue cases and deaths.
But because it is a new fiscal year and a new budget has already been approved for 2008, another declaration of a state of calamity is needed to be able to use the calamity funds for this year.
Rama said city and barangay officials should intensify their cleanliness campaign and preventive measures against the dengue virus, especially since the number of cases continues to increase even if the peak months for dengue are over.
Health officials earlier said the peak months would be in November and December last year.
Rama also said that they should consider the observations of some sanitary inspectors, who said the City had fewer cases when it focused its dengue prevention campaign in fogging and misting activities.
He also asked Councilor and Association of Barangay Councils President Eugenio Faelnar to meet all barangay captains and discuss with them how they can efficiently contain the dengue virus. (LCR)
