DAVAO CITY – The City Health Office-Tropical Disease Prevention & Control Unit (CHO-TDPCU) said Wednesday it has intensified mosquito control measures to prevent the spread of chikungunya disease in two barangays.
This came after the CHO confirmed two cases of chikungunya in Barangay Ilang and 28 suspected cases in Barangay Panacan last week.
Test results from the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine in Manila have confirmed two chikungunya cases in Barangay Ilang, which has 16 more suspected cases, while results for the suspected cases in Barangay Panacan are still pending.
Ernie Cequiña, a CHO-TDPCU nurse, said they immediately responded with critical mosquito control measures, including an awareness drive in the affected villages.
“Even when the results were not yet confirmed, we addressed the cases as caused by mosquito,” Cequiña said, adding they also conducted Aedes larvae surveillance, fogging, and later misting or indoor residual spraying in the villages.
Chikungunya symptoms are particularly difficult to determine as the patients usually manifest symptoms similar to that of dengue (fever, nausea, pain behind the eyes), but with more severe joint pains and early onset of skin rashes.
“The only difference in symptoms is the joint pains,” Cequiña said.
Protective measures, such as maintaining the cleanliness of the surroundings, remain the best method of preventing an outbreak, he added. (PNA)
