CEBU has the highest number of dengue cases among the four provinces and three highly-urbanized cities in Central Visayas from Jan. 1 to Aug. 6, 2022.
The Department of Health (DOH) 7’s Center for Health Development Communications Management Unit has recorded a total of 11,475 dengue cases and 72 deaths during the said period.
Of the total number of dengue cases, 4,430 came from Cebu Province; 2,062 from Cebu City; 1,244 from Lapu-Lapu City; 621 from Mandaue City; 1,759 from Bohol; 1,197 from Negros Oriental; and 90 from Siquijor.
Dr. Eugenia Mercedes Cañal, cluster head from the Regional Epedemiology and Surveilance Unit (Resu), stated in her report that Cebu Province had the most number of dengue deaths with 27, followed by Cebu City with 25, Lapu-Lapu City with 10, Negros Oriental with six and Mandaue City with four.
No fatalities, however, were recorded in Bohol and Siquijor.
Danao City’s anti-dengue ordinance
To combat rising dengue cases in their city, legislators in Danao in northern Cebu passed an ordinance requiring households, private and government establishments and government offices to immediately destroy mosquito breeding sites in and around their respective areas or face penalties that range from a warning for the first offense to a fine and/or imprisonment for subsequent offenses.
Danao City Mayor Thomas Mark “Mix” Durano approved the ordinance on July 29, 2022.
Councilor Kristine Gorre, who authored Ordinance 2022-17- 005, cited the 2,910 cases of dengue and 30 deaths reported in Central Visayas from Jan. 1 to April 30, 2022 as among the reasons for penning the ordinance.
Dengue is a viral infection transmitted to humans through the bite of infected mosquitoes, particularly the Aedes aegypti mosquito. The virus responsible for causing dengue is called dengue virus (DENV), the World Health Organization says.
The symptoms of dengue include fever, body malaise, abdominal pain, vomiting and, in severe cases, bleeding.
Gorre said mosquitoes cause the spread not only of dengue but also of another disease, Zika, and that while mosquitoes prefer to lay their eggs in stagnant water, such as ponds, swamps, marshes and other wetlands, they can also breed in other locations in hot and humid environments.
The “Destruction of Mosquito Breeding Sites Ordinance of Danao City” prohibits households, establishments and government offices from keeping stagnant or standing water and requires them to clean their premises and dispose of garbage properly by segregating water containers such as bottles, tin cans, plastic cups and other natural water containers like coconut husks and bamboo properly.
The ordinance requires that water drums, pails and similar containers be covered at all times; old or discarded tires be punctured or cut; unused tin cans, jars, bottles, pots and the like be properly stored or disposed of; roof gutters be kept free from accumulated rainwater; and that plant vases and pots, open bamboo poles, leaf plant axils, free holes and other containers that may accumulate water be checked regularly as potential breeding sites of the Aedes aegypti mosquito.
Abandoned swimming pools must also be treated with larvicides or other means of controlling the mosquito or other organisms that may carry the disease, while uninhabited structures or buildings must be kept free of all kinds of waste and stagnant water.
All other interventions, especially the use of chemicals to control dengue, require clearance from the City Health Services Office.
Failure to comply with the above will merit the violator a stern warning on the first offense, a fine of P1,000 and/or imprisonment of two days for the second offense and a fine of P3,000 and/or imprisonment of three days for the third offense at the discretion of the court.
The Danao City Government will go to court if the violator contests his apprehension and fine penalty. (CTL, PAC / TPT)