Friday, March 14, 2008 Lahug emerges as model in health campaign on dengue
AFTER a significant drop in the number of dengue fever cases, Barangay Lahug could serve as an example in the Cebu City Government’s campaign against the illness.
From being ranked as the number two barangay with the highest number of dengue cases last year, Lahug is now number 17.
Vice Mayor Michael Rama said he wants to know what Lahug has done to improve significantly its standing, so that their preventive measures can be replicated in other barangays, especially those that have a high number of dengue cases.
The City Health Department reported a decrease in the number of dengue cases in the city, with only 17 cases from March 1 to 8.
A total of 420 cases were recorded so far this year, with 13 deaths.
During the City Council session last Wednesday, Rama said the other barangays can learn from the experience of Lahug, whose officials were criticized earlier by Mayor Tomas Osmeña for failing to address the dengue problem.
“Lahug is now ranked 17th, from being the top two barangay before. What did Lahug do that it was able to improve their situation tremendously? And maybe it can be adopted in Guadalupe, Mambaling, Cogon Pardo and other barangays in the top 10. I think they can all learn from Lahug,” the vice mayor told the council.
Lahug Barangay Captain Mary Ann de los Santos said all barangay officials have been going to the 44 sitios for the past months to personally teach the residents how to clean their surroundings.
She blamed the lack of water supply in the depressed areas of Lahug for the high number of dengue cases there last year.
Without their own water tanks and faucets, residents have to store water in containers, which then become breeding sites of dengue-carrying mosquitoes.
“We have gone back to the basics. We are leading by example and going to the communities ourselves for the cleanup activities. That’s all you have to do, clean the surroundings and educate the people on the preventive measures,” she told Sun.Star Cebu.
With 28 cases and one death so far this year, Barangay Inayawan tops the list of barangays with the highest number of dengue cases.
Talamban follows with 27 cases and two deaths, Labangon with 24 cases, Guadalupe with 23 cases and two deaths and Tisa with 23 cases and two deaths.
Mabolo ranks sixth with 20 cases, followed by Bulacao with 14 cases and one death, Basak Pardo with 13 cases, and Cogon Pardo and Poblacion Pardo with 12 cases and one death each.
During the session, Councilor Arsenio Pacaña asked the Anti-Dengue Task Force to check the dengue situation in Mambaling, which still has a high number of cases despite the massive cleanup activities there.
Pacaña said the pond that was earlier said to be the breeding site of mosquitoes has already been drained of water, but there are still dengue cases recorded in the area.
The day-biting aedes aegypti mosquito transmits the dengue fever virus. (LCR)
