DENGUE cases in Bacolod City from January 1 to August 7, 2021 decreased by 36.4 percent compared to the same period last year, records at the City Health Office (CHO) showed.

Dr. Grace Tan, head of the CHO Environment Sanitation Division, in a statement, said they listed 159 cases with two deaths from January to August 7 compared to 2020's 250 cases.

Of 159 cases, Barangay Estefania has the highest number of cases with 23.

Others are Barangay Tangub with 16; Barangays Singcang-Airport and Villamonte, 14 each; Barangays Taculing and Mansilingan, 10 each; Barangays Barangay 35 and Pahanocoy, eight each; Barangay Alijis, five; and Barangay Bata, four.

CHO records showed that six barangays were observed to have a clustering of dengue cases in four weeks prior to August 7.

These include Barangays Pahanocoy, Villamonte, Bata, Estefania, Tangub, Mansilingan, and Vista Alegre.

Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral disease characterized by high fever accompanied by severe headache, pain behind the eyes, muscle and joint pains, nausea, vomiting, swollen glands and rashes.

Tan said the two most prominent species that transmit viruses are Aedes aegypti mosquito, which stays inside the house; and Aedes albopictus mosquito, which stays outside, transmit the viruses that cause dengue fever, and yellow fever among others.

Despite the decline in the number of dengue cases, Tan said the CHO continues to take action to curb the mosquito-borne viral infection.

She said they initiated recoridas, fogging, or spraying in areas with recorded dengue cases. Larvicides were also distributed in affected communities.

"We need the participation of the community to destroy the breeding places of mosquitoes. This is not just a project of the local government unit (LGU), CHO or the Department of Health (DOH), but it's a participation of all sectors including the households or the community," she added.

Tan urged the public to observe the "4S" in the fight against dengue. "4S" stands for "Search and destroy", "use of Self-protective measures," "Seek early treatment," and "Say yes to fogging/spraying."