With that as guiding principle, Gov. Lilia G. Pineda on Monday called for the organization of barangay task forces which would directly address at the grassroots level the spread of dengue.
“I have asked mayors, barangay officials and our health workers to coordinate with the Capitol the creation and operation of these barangay task forces in combatting dengue, starting with the environment where the mosquitoes that carry it thrive,” the governor said, stressing that “the fight starts right at home.”
“The key is to have clean surroundings, no stagnant water around our residences to deprive the mosquito of breeding ground,” Pineda noted, citing as example the
case in Lubao where 10 cases of dengue were traced to a junkyard where rainwater collected in small pools, bottles and discarded tires.
“We do not have to declare any state of calamity in fighting dengue, we just have to be unceasing in our cleanliness drives in each community, in all barangays,” she said.
The governor has also tasked the Provincial Government Environment and Natural Resources Office as well as the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office to help in the clean-up of barangays and seek and eradicate mosquito breeding placer.
Last week, the governor instructed the chiefs of the province’s 505 villages to conduct massive clean-up of their respective barangays.
Blood donors With the steady supply of blood a critical need in the treatment of dengue, the governor said the barangay task forces will mobilize blood donors who will be on standby whenever the need arises.
“We are looking at some well-screened 200 blood donors in every barangay who could donate fresh blood when needed to dengue patients. This is aside from the regular bloodletting we do pero dito, hindi na kailangan pang i-store yung blood kundi direct na sa pasyente for that particular barangay,” Pineda explained.
She said health officials have been briefed on the Capitol’s proposed blood networking program, which funding will be drawn from the provincial government’s P50-million calamity fund.
