GENERAL SANTOS CITY -- The provincial government of South Cotabato has allotted an initial PHP5 million to address the outbreak of the deadly dengue fever, which had already claimed 21 lives.
The Provincial Board, which convened for a special session on Friday afternoon, approved the immediate release of the funding as it formally declared the entire province under a state of calamity through Resolution 1, series of 2019, authored by Board member Jinky Avance.
The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC), chaired by South Cotabato Governor Reynado Tamayo Jr., signed an order on Wednesday endorsing the calamity declaration and requested urgent action by the board.
Lawyer Renette Bergado, provincial administrator and acting head of the PDRRM Office, said the PHP5 million funding would be drawn from the province's PHP31 million quick response fund.
"It will be used for the purchase of necessary logistics like fogging and misting machines, biologics and the conduct of massive information and education campaign," she said.
The Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO) proposed the purchase of dengue NS1 rapid test kits and a platelet separator, which is considered one of the important equipment in the handling of dengue cases, she said.
Based on a report submitted by the IPHO to the PDRRMC, the reported dengue cases in the province's 10 towns and lone city already reached a total of 3,348 as of July 13.
The number was 149 percent higher than the 1,344 cases recorded in the same period last year.
High dengue incidence was noted in the municipalities of Surallah, Banga, Norala, Tantangan, and Sto. Niño, which have earlier declared a state of calamity.
It said the province's dengue cases breached the epidemic threshold as of May and with clustering of cases on 91 barangays.
The epidemiology bureau defined clustering as three or more cases recorded in a barangay in four consecutive weeks.
Jose Barroquillo, IPHO's mosquito-borne disease program coordinator, said that along with the purchase of the needed logistics, it is important for local communities to observe the "4S" strategy against dengue.
It stands for search and destroy mosquito-breeding sites, secure self-protection measures by wearing long pants and long-sleeved shirts and daily use of mosquito repellent, seek early consultation, and support fogging/spraying only in hotspot areas.
"The regular cleanup of our communities and households is still the best way to combat dengue," he said.
Barroquillo said the fogging or misting operations should be done in four cycles and not only once to ensure that dengue-carrying mosquitoes will be wiped out. (PNA)
