CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – While dengue cases in Central Luzon have been noted to be 70 percent lower so far this year, the Department of Health (DOH) is set to embark on a massive “search and destroy” campaign against the mosquito variety that transmits the ailment amid floods triggered by storm Ondoy.
Figures of the DOH here as of yesterday indicated a total of 1,561 cases of dengue in Central Luzon since last January, lower by 70 percent than last year’s 5,189 cases over the same period. The DOH also noted that the 12 dengue fatalities this year is also much lower than 30 deaths reported last year.
“We must be more vigilant now that many areas were flooded by storm Ondoy. We are waging a massive search and destroy campaign against the Aedes Egypti mosquito which transmits the dengue virus to humans,” DOH regional director Dr. Rio Magpantay told Punto. The mosquito readily breeds in clear, stagnant pools of water.
At least 17 towns in Pampanga were hit by severe flooding as a result of the heavy rains brought by storm Ondoy last Saturday, said Emmy Villavicencio of the Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council (PDCC). The floods affected 92,171 families or 445,926 folk in 219 barangays.
Villavicencio said that as of yesterday, however, waters have subsided in many areas, but floods still remained in some barangays in Guagua, Candaba, San Fernando, Sto. Tomas, Apalit, Lubao, Sasmuan, Mexico, Sta. Ana, San Luis, Masantol, Macabebe, San Simon, and Arayat.
DOH regional epidemiologist Dr. Rhoda Cruz noted that municipal health officials in these areas have started a campaign for local folk to search for pools of water and remove these as a measure to prevent breeding of the Aedes Egypti mosquito.
“We have been successful in this so far, as indicated by our statistics, but we have a few more months to go amid the recent heavy rains,” she noted.
Updated DOH statistics indicated the highest 493 dengue cases in Nueva Ecija, followed by Bulacan with 396 cases, Pampanga with 262, Zambales with 177, Tarlac with 96, Bataan with 97 and, Aurora with 50. Six of the deaths were in Bulacan, four in Pampanga and two in Nueva Ecija.
Cruz noted, however, that while dengue cases in other Central Luzon provinces went down this year, cases in Aurora rose from only 21 last year to 50 so far this year.
She also said that the victims’ ages ranged from two months to 82 years old, mostly male. About 71 percent of them were aged 18 years or below, she also said.
“We must be more vigilant now that many areas were flooded by storm Ondoy. We are waging a massive search and destroy campaign against the Aedes Egypti mosquito which transmits the dengue virus to humans,” DOH regional director Dr. Rio Magpantay told Punto. The mosquito readily breeds in clear, stagnant pools of water.
At least 17 towns in Pampanga were hit by severe flooding as a result of the heavy rains brought by storm Ondoy last Saturday, said Emmy Villavicencio of the Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council (PDCC). The floods affected 92,171 families or 445,926 folk in 219 barangays.
Villavicencio said that as of yesterday, however, waters have subsided in many areas, but floods still remained in some barangays in Guagua, Candaba, San Fernando, Sto. Tomas, Apalit, Lubao, Sasmuan, Mexico, Sta. Ana, San Luis, Masantol, Macabebe, San Simon, and Arayat.
DOH regional epidemiologist Dr. Rhoda Cruz noted that municipal health officials in these areas have started a campaign for local folk to search for pools of water and remove these as a measure to prevent breeding of the Aedes Egypti mosquito.
“We have been successful in this so far, as indicated by our statistics, but we have a few more months to go amid the recent heavy rains,” she noted.
Updated DOH statistics indicated the highest 493 dengue cases in Nueva Ecija, followed by Bulacan with 396 cases, Pampanga with 262, Zambales with 177, Tarlac with 96, Bataan with 97 and, Aurora with 50. Six of the deaths were in Bulacan, four in Pampanga and two in Nueva Ecija.
Cruz noted, however, that while dengue cases in other Central Luzon provinces went down this year, cases in Aurora rose from only 21 last year to 50 so far this year.
She also said that the victims’ ages ranged from two months to 82 years old, mostly male. About 71 percent of them were aged 18 years or below, she also said.
