Lawmaker, DOST join campaign vs dengue

A MINDANAO lawmaker has joined in the campaign against dengue and distributed some 12,000 ovicidal/larvicidal (OL) trap kits in Zamboanga City.

Deputy House Speaker for Mindanao Ma. Isabelle Climaco-Salazar (First District, Zamboanga City) coordinated with the Department of Science and Technology (Dost) in Zamboanga Peninsula.

The OL trap is a simple device developed by the Dost-Industrial Technology Development Institute that attracts dengue-carrying female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes and kills the eggs trapped in the kit.

Salazar led the distribution, which is in support of the project "DOST-OL Trap System Nationwide Roll-out," said DOST Regional Director Brenda Nazareth-Manzano.

Manzano said the OL trap kits were distributed to 11 barangays, which have recorded high number of dengue cases.

Ten of the 11 barangays are located in the first district of Zamboanga City while the other one is in the second district.

These are: San Roque, Sta. Maria, Tumaga, Maasin, Recodo, Calarian, Pasonanca, Malagutay, Sinunuc, and Campo Islam in the first district; and, Tugbungan in the second district.

Records at the City Health Office showed that there were 2,317 cases of dengue with 25 fatalities registered since January until August this year.

The dengue cases for the past eight months this year are higher by 1,626 compared to the same period last year, which registered 691 cases with 10 fatalities.

Manzano said more than 6,000 households in the 11 barangays have benefited from the joint project.

Each of the household received two OL trap kits and a supply of the organic pellets for six months, Manzano said.

She said barangay coordinators or sanitary inspectors were assigned to monitor and record OL traps that show presence of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.
She said the data will be used to compute the OL trap index of each barangay, which may serve as an early warning signal to preempt any impending dengue outbreaks.

Salazar has encouraged the public to support the project as this may help in mitigating the incidence of dengue in Zamboanga City.

Salazar also emphasized the need to keep the surroundings clean as this is still the best way to prevent the spread of the disease.

The developed mosquito trap offers a simple, cheap and efficient tool for surveillance and control of these mosquitoes.