DOH chief vows help for LGUs vs dengue

Health Secretary Enrique Ona has assured local government units (LGUs) of assistance in fighting dengue, even as he maintained his department is in control of the rising number of cases of the dreaded disease nationwide.

He said that while dengue remains “under control" despite an overall 65.8-percent increase in the number of infections from January to July compared to records in the same period last year, the Department of Health (DOH) is not taking the situation lightly.

“(We) are (not) taking this lightly, we are on top of the situation ... we are trying our best to assist local governments in the fight against dengue," Ona was quoted as saying last Friday by the Visayan Daily Star.

Ona and DOH officials, together with some representatives of the World Health Organization (WHO), visited to Negros Occidental to check on dengue outbreaks in some areas in the province.

He said he was going around the country to reassure the public that dengue is under control, the DOH knows what is happening and is doing what should be done.

Citing DOH records, he said dengue cases this year have increased to 48,759 or 65.8 percent from 29,400 last year nationwide.

But he said the rise in number of deaths has been minimal from 315 in 2009 to 387, so far, this year.

On the other hand, he admitted the rise of cases in Eastern Visayas by 1,409.5 percent is “very scary."

Topping the list of dengue cases so far this year was Region VIII (Eastern Visayas), with 5,419 cases or an increase by 1,409.5 percent; followed by Region IV-B (MIMAROPA), 572 or 550 percent; Region X (Northern Mindanao), 3,931 or 261.6 percent; ARMM (Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao), 818 or 224.6 percent increase.

Other regions with increasing incidence of dengue virus infections are:

Caraga with 1,663 or 180.9 percent increase; Region XII (SOCCSKSARGEN) – 5,607 or 148.6 percent; CAR (Cordillera Administrative Region) – 1,832 or 134.6 percent; Region XI (Davao Region) – 4,527 or 104.9 percent; Region IX (Zamboanga Peninsula) – 2,041 or 103.5 percent; Region VI (Western Visayas) – 5,952 or 82.4 percent.

Also found to have significant increases in the number of infections are Region IV-A (Calabarzon) with 5,007 or 30.4 percent; Region V (Bicol ) – 782 or 26.5 percent; Region VII (Central Visayas) – 3,328 or 17.9 percent; and Region III (Central Luzon) – 1,546 or 5 percent.

Areas with slight increases in dengue incidence are Region I (Ilocos Region) – 1,145 or -30.4 percent; NCR (National Capital Region) – 3,784 or -34.3 percent; and Region II (Cagayan Valley) – 805 or -40.6 percent.

Ona said it is the prerogative of local governments to declare states of calamities to make funds available to combat dengue.

At an anti-dengue program at Villa Esperanza Elementary School in Barangay Tangub in Bacolod City, Ona turned over four microscopes and larvicides requested by Bacolod Rep. Anthony Golez Jr. to fight dengue in the city.

Ona also joined Golez and members of the Lions, Rotary and Soroptimist in installing screens on the windows of school classrooms as deterrents against dengue.

The screen is laced with permethrin to kill mosquitoes on contact, Golez said.

Permethrin is a common synthetic chemical widely used as an insecticide.

Also at the anti-dengue event, Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia said he requested the city council to declare an imminent danger of calamity after he conferred with DOH regional director Dr. Ariel Valencia.

City Health Office records show there were 831 dengue cases in the Bacolod City and three deaths from January 1 to August 16 this year compared to 742 last year covering the same period where there were six deaths.

— LBG, GMANews.TV