operations to prevent dengue fever

By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia has appealed for barangay officials to clean their surroundings in order to prevent dengue fever cases from further increasing. The mayor said, while the city has not been affected as severely as other localities in the province, he wants local officials to intensify their respective anti-dengue campaigns.
Based on Bacolod City Health Office (CHO) data gathered from January 1 to July 6, dengue cases in the city totaled 561, a 57.6 percent increase compared to the 356 recorded during the same period last year.
The number of deaths has also increased with four recorded this year, up from last year’s three.
Leonardia directed CHO Environment and Sanitation Division head, Dr. Grace Tan, to conduct a meeting with barangay officials as soon as possible, calling the issue “urgent.” In response, the CHO official said they have noticed the barangays with the highest number of dengue cases are among the more densely-populated areas of the city; namely, Barangays Estefania, Tangub, Pahanocoy, Taculing, Granada, Mansilingan, Alijis, Handumanan, Villamonte, and Mandalagan.
Tan also noted, every three years, dengue cases increase not just in this city but all over the country./DGB, WDJ