Mayor reiterates call for anti-dengue campaign

MAYOR Celso Lobregat has called on the public anew to intensify efforts to combat dengue, saying the local government’s campaign will be futile without the support and cooperation of all sectors.

This as Lobregat joined City Health Officer Dr. Rodelin Agbulos and staff and other sectors on Saturday in conduct massive clean-up drive dubbed “zero dengue, act now” in barangays with the most number of dengue cases registered.

The two officials led in the awareness campaign through the search and destroy strategy in the villages of Guiwan, Lunzuran, Putik, Tetuan, Tugbungan and Tumaga, which have the most number of registered cases of dengue.

City Health Office personnel and from other sectors have also joined in the clean-up drive.

The “Zero Dengue, Act Now” initiative of Agbulos’s office is a two-Saturday activity--July 21 and July 28--intended to step up awareness on the dengue disease in the wake of the steady number of dengue cases registered in different hospitals in the city.

The campaign target the search and destroy approach involving the different sectors including the Department of Education, the barangays, City Health Office, General Service Office, Philippine Air Force, Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries and other sectors.

Lobregat emphasized that dengue prevention and control must be a continuous and joint effort of the City Government, the village officials, the individual households and all sectors.

Lobregat said that all efforts will be futile if the villages, individual households, and all other sectors will not do their part though the local government, through the City Health Office and other agencies concerned is doing everything possible to address the dengue outbreak.

Agbulos said various anti-dengue efforts have been undertaken that include spearheading simultaneous city-wide clean-up drives, advocacy campaigns, distribution of anti-mosquito larvae chemicals and numerous others since the declaration of the dengue outbreak in Zamboanga City last May 10.

City Health Office records showed there were 1,912 cases of dengue cases with 22 fatalities registered since January of this year until last week.

There were only 533 cases of dengue with eight fatalities registered covering the same period last year.

Both Lobregat and Agbulos have been emphasizing the urgent need for people to search and destroy breeding sites of dengue-carrier mosquitoes, specifically stagnant clear water in cans, flower vases, rain barrels and old rubber tires among others. (Bong Garcia)