By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

The Bacolod City Health Office (CHO) yesterday said the number of dengue cases this year has dropped by 40.7 percent as compared to 2017.

CHO Environment and Sanitation Division head, Dr. Grace Tan, said based on data gathered between January 1 and June 23 of this year, they have recorded a total of 278 cases as compared to last year’s 469.

The number of dengue fatalities in the city is also down, currently at three this year as compared to five recorded during the same period in 2017.

Tan said Barangay Taculing currently has the highest number of cases with 27, followed by Barangay Sum-ag at 26 and Barangay Villamonte recording 24.

The health official said, as part of their anti-dengue program, they celebrated ASEAN Dengue Day, which was observed on June 15, at Sum-ag Elementary School in order to raise awareness about dengue.

Tan also appealed to the city’s residents to follow the 4S strategy, which includes search and destroy mosquito breeding places, self-protection measures are a must, seek early consultation, and say no to indiscriminate fogging.

Last month, the Department of Health in Western Visayas released data showing around 2,700 dengue cases were reported throughout the region, with Negros Occidental reporting at least 1,284 cases./DGB, WDJ