Dengue Alert

Despite the Cebu City government’s efforts in implementing anti-dengue programs, the disease persists, and the City Council wants to know why.

Councilor Gerardo Carillo said the City Council has asked the City Health Department to appear in next week’s session to explain why dengue still occurs, in case officials may have missed something.

“Barangay officials may have failed to monitor their respective areas. The Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) might not have attended to patients immediately. Or cases were not reported immediately,” Carillo said.

Carillo, action officer of the Cebu City Disaster Coordinating Council (CCDCC), said the latest dengue fatality in the city was a three-year-old boy from barangay Labangon. The councilor noted that the boy lived in the same area where there were previous deaths due to dengue.

To prevent speculations on a possible correlation among the fatalities in Labangon, Carillo said the City Health Department and barangay officials should explain the circumstances behind the deaths.

The councilor said officials of Mambaling and Talamban also have much to explain because of the recent dengue-related deaths in the two barangays.

Officials from these three barangays were also invited to attend next week’s City Council session to brief councilors on the anti-dengue programs in their barangays.

Assistant City Epidemiologist Dirunda Macasocol said the problem is not with the lack of implementation of anti-dengue programs but sanitation in households.

Macasocol said dengue is an epidemic. The only way to get rid of it is to get rid of all dengue-carrying mosquitoes.

Barring that, the second best way to prevent dengue is to keep one’s surroundings clean to prevent the mosquitoes from breeding, she said.

The city government, through the City Health Department, has been conducting anti-mosquito mist operations in areas with high incidences of dengue. The city also provides free medical services for dengue-stricken patients.

But Macasocol said residents should still be responsible for their own cleanliness.

She urged residents to make sure to always clean up their yards and eliminate stagnant water – a breeding place for mosquitoes.

The City Council, on the other hand, urged residents who have been stricken with dengue or suspect that they may have dengue to immediately avail of free medical services at the CCMC.