SURVEILLANCE. A personnel of the Antique Integrated Provincial Health Office during their dengue vector surveillance in barangay Maybato Sur in San Jose de Buenavista on June 8, 2022. IPHO information officer Irene Dulduco said on Monday (June 13, 2022) they discovered the barangay has a high risk for dengue. (PNA photo courtesy of Antique IPHO)
SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA, Antique – Barangay health workers (BHWs) and barangay nutrition scholars (BNS) in Antique are urged to launch fever monitoring due to the rising cases of dengue in the province.
Antique Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO) information officer Irene Dulduco said in an interview Monday there were 622 dengue cases with four deaths in the province from January 1 to June 4.
“As compared with that of last year for the same period January 1 to June 4, there is a 192-percent increase of dengue cases,” she said.
Dulduco said there was only one death due to dengue last year.
The top five towns with high dengue cases are Sibalom with 156 cases, San Jose de Buenavista with 148, Hamtic with 75, Bugasong with 65, and Anini-y with 43.
“Fever surveillance by the BHWs and BNS is necessary for early detection of dengue,” she said.
This, as seeking early consultation is one of the 4S strategies against dengue advocated by the IPHO in partnership with the Department of Health and the Municipal Health Offices.
4S stands for “search and destroy” mosquito breeding places, “self-protection” to prevent oneself from mosquito bite, “seek early consultation” within 24 hours of having a fever, and “say yes to fogging” whenever there is an impending outbreak.
Dulduco said during their vector surveillance in barangay Maybato Sur in San Jose de Buenavista on June 8, they discovered there was a high risk of dengue positivity as 37 households were found to have dengue mosquito larvae out of the 100 households surveyed.
“There were 5,599 water containers, bottles, and tin cans in the households that were found to have mosquito larvae,” she said.
She added they launched health education among the household members to underscore the importance of environmental cleanliness as an offshoot of vector surveillance. (PNA)
