GENERAL SANTOS CITY – Health personnel in South Cotabato province are closely monitoring various communities due to the increasing cases of the deadly dengue fever.
Lowell Sajot, dengue program coordinator of the Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO), said on Friday they monitored the clustering of dengue cases in the past several weeks in parts of Koronadal City and Polomolok town.
He said they are currently working with the concerned barangays and the rural health units to contain the further spread of the mosquito-borne disease.
The Department of Health’s (DOH) epidemiology bureau said there is a clustering of dengue if there are three or more cases detected in a barangay for four consecutive weeks.
As of July 30, the IPHO’s epidemiology and surveillance unit already recorded a total of 1,036 dengue cases in the province’s 10 towns and lone city, a 29 percent increase from 800 cases in the same period last year.
The reported deaths remained at six for a case fatality rate of 0.7 percent. These are from Koronadal City and the municipalities of Norala, Tampakan, Tantangan, Lake Sebu, and Tupi.
Sajot urged residents to remain vigilant against the disease amid the continuing coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.
He said local communities should continually observe the prevention measures, especially the conduct of regular cleanup of their surroundings.
“We have sustained our awareness campaigns down to the household level for the enhanced 4-S strategy in coordination with the barangays,” he told reporters.
The 4-S strategy, which was set by the DOH, stands for Search and destroy mosquito breeding sites; Secure self-protection measures from mosquito bites like wearing long sleeves and pants and use of mosquito repellants for uncovered skin; Seek early consultation for fever of more than one day; and, Support fogging/spraying only in hot spots areas where an increase in cases is registered for two consecutive weeks to prevent an impending outbreak.
Jose Barroquillo, IPHO sanitary inspector, said 4-S remains the most effective and economical approach to contain dengue in the communities.
He said households should make it a habit to look for and eliminate mosquito breeding places even for just five minutes daily.
“If we just practice it regularly, we are very sure that in two weeks' time the larvae and the mosquitoes will just die, and would be effectively contained in our communities,” he said. (PNA)
