Oro health official alarmed over number of dengue cases

THE rate of increase in the number of mosquito-borne diseases will likely surpass the total number of dengue cases last year, a health official in Cagayan de Oro City said.

In a report by the City Health Epidemiology Surveillance Unit (CHESU), a total of 1,619 cases of dengue with seven deaths have already been recorded in the first three quarters of 2016.

"According to our statistics, the rate of the increase in number of mosquito-borne diseases here in Cagayan de Oro is considered alarming. We already have 1,600 plus dengue cases and we haven't even reached the end of the year. We are really anticipating the fact that this year's toll of dengue patients will be greater than 2015's which only went up to 1,934 with only four deaths," said Sergio Ramon Bautista, the officer in charge of the Environmental Sanitation Office said.

The top ten barangays with the highest number of dengue cases are Carmen, Kauswagan, Balulang, Lumbia, Bulua, Lapasan, Macasandig, Bugo, Patag, and Canitoan.

While CHESU notes no cases of Malaria and Zika have been reported in the city, there has been a total of 88 Chikungunya cases as of September this year and one recorded case of the Japanese encephalitis.

The Environmental Sanitation Office, however, has been giving intervention activities to all the barangays in Cagayan de Oro to combat these diseases such as initiating clean-up drives, symposiums on the nature of the carrier mosquitoes, and giving screen treated nets against mosquitoes.

"When we go to the barangays we always inspect houses to make sure that there are no places for these mosquitoes to hatch their eggs. We really try to educate the people. Another problem however is the community behavior when it comes to cleaning the surroundings," Bautista added stressing the fact that most household only start cleaning when cases of these diseases has already been reported in their area.

According to Bautista, preventing the increase rate of these diseases will be harder to stop since the rainy season has now started.

He reminds the people to always practice preventive measures against the carrier mosquitoes by keeping stricter supervision of household stagnant waters such as those in vases or water reservoirs.

He further asks the assistance of other government offices with regards to the maintenance of the cleanliness of the city in order to prevent the clogging of the city drainage which might serve as possible breeding grounds for disease-carrying mosquitoes.

An official of the Solid Wastes Management division of the City Local Environment and Natural Resources Office (CLENRO) notes the difficulties in keeping the city clean.

Elvisa Mabelin, the division chief of the Solid Waste Management Division under the City Local Environment and Natural Resources Office (CLENRO), said one of the biggest problems of their office comes from the refusal of some citizens to comply with the pick-up schedules of the garbage trucks.

Mabelin said most residents would place their garbage in designated areas after garbage trucks have left or are not scheduled to pass their area which results in the dispersal of garbage by the elements and by stray animals.