By Ruth Palo
September 20, 2023 50
DAVAO CITY: This city has recorded an alarming number of dengue cases from January to August of the year — 1,506 — higher than the 1,052 recorded in the same period last year, city health officials said on Monday, Sept. 18, 2023.
City Health Office (CHO) Tropical Diseases Division head Melodina Babante said the deaths caused by dengue from January to August have also reached 28 or significantly higher than the 13 that were recorded in the same period last year.
Babante also said dengue cases in the city have increased from irregular weather patterns that aided the breeding process of dengue-carrying mosquitoes.
She noted that the fight against dengue must be taken to the community level, asking every barangay (village) to form their own Barangay Mosquito-Borne Viral Disease Task Force dedicated entirely to reducing the number of dengue cases in their area.
The fact that the CHO cannot intervene alone, Babante said, the office is enabling barangay officials to aid in the intervention in this disease.
"The residents play an important role in fighting this dengue disease, we are working with local officials to form a dengue task force," she added.
The task force is critical in performing a coordinated effort to limit the spread of dengue-carrying mosquitoes by searching for and eliminating breeding places. It could further monitor people under its responsibility for signs of infection and use early intervention to prevent an outbreak, Babante said.
Out of 182 barangay here, only 9 have a Mosquito-Borne Viral Disease Task Force. These villages, she said, have reported the lowest number of dengue infections in recent years, indicating that the task force is efficient in lowering dengue cases.
Another 14 barangay previously formed their own task forces, but these have now remained dormant and must be reactivated, Babante added.
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