DAVAO CITY – Five died while 969 others were infected by dengue from January to July this year, the City Health Office (CHO) reported Friday.
In an interview, Melodina Babante, head of CHO's tropical diseases prevention unit, said this year’s 959 cases are higher compared to the 928 recorded during the same period last year.
Babante also cautioned the mortality figure this year could increase in the coming months if residents remain complacent in adhering to anti-dengue measures.
Dengue fatalities this year include two children and three adults, she said. Last year, the mosquito-borne disease killed seven residents.
“We hope that it will not increase anymore. We are intensifying our campaign in the dengue hotspot areas,” Babante said.
Babante said villages considered dengue hotspots include Buhangin Proper, Talomo Poblacion, Baliok, Bucana, Matina Pangi, and Catalunan Grande.
“We went to the barangays and if there are confirmed cases we focus our interventions there for six months. However, if there is a lone case, we conduct residual spraying in the households,” she said.
She added that dengue awareness programs and distribution of information campaign materials are ongoing in the villages.
"If a certain barangay has numerous cases, then we conduct fogging operations to stop the transmission of the mosquito virus,” she said.
Dengue virus is spread to people through the bites of infected Aedes species mosquitoes. The Aedes mosquitoes are the same types that spread Zika and chikungunya viruses.
Babante urged city residents to help prevent dengue by implementing the enhanced 4-S strategy in their households.
4-S stands for “Search and destroy” mosquito-breeding sites, employ “Self-protection measures”, “Seek early consultation”, and “Support fogging/spraying” only in hotspot areas where an increase in cases is registered for two consecutive weeks to prevent an impending outbreak. (PNA)
