Ben Madilynn
AMID the rising number of dengue cases in Cebu City, officials have not yet deemed it necessary to declare a public health emergency.
In an interview with reporters on Monday, Sept. 30, 2024, Acting Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia said he does not see the need for such a declaration.
He said that although the number of cases is still rising, the percentage has not soared.
Dr. Daisy Villa, City Health Department (CHD) head, told SunStar Cebu in a text message on Sunday, Sept. 29, that, as of now, there is no need to declare a public health emergency.
She said dengue has always been present.
“Wala siya nawala (It never disappeared) the whole year round,” Villa said.
Villa added that there is a trend that dengue cases go up every two to three years, especially when it rains.
Data
SunStar Cebu, on Thursday, Sept. 26, reported that the CHD logged 10 fatalities out of the 764 cases of dengue infection recorded from Jan. 1 to Sept. 16. This record shows a significant increase from last year’s 30 dengue cases, with four suspected dengue-related deaths.
Villa, in an interview with the City information office’s Sugboanon Channel program, said the sharp increase in dengue cases is attributed to the continuous rains experienced in Metro Cebu in recent weeks.
With the onset of the La Niña phenomenon, which is expected to bring more rain, Villa warned that dengue cases are likely to increase further unless preventive measures are taken.
To curb the increase, CHD is intensifying measures such as search-and-destroy operations in barangays to eliminate mosquito breeding grounds.
Villa stressed the importance of community participation, urging barangay officials and the public to clean their surroundings and remove stagnant water to get rid of potential breeding sites.
DOH’s “4S”
This is part of the Department of Health’s “4S” strategy, which includes securing self-protection measures, seeking early consultation and supporting indoor and outdoor spraying to contain and prevent dengue outbreaks at the barangay level.
The CHD has also initiated mapping high-dengue incidence areas in the city to strategically pinpoint areas where mosquitoes could spread.
If declared, the public health emergency would enhance the City Government’s response to combat the spread of the deadly mosquito-borne disease.
The CHD has already implemented various measures, including misting operations, installation of insecticide-impregnated curtains and larvae insecticides, to curb the spread of the disease.
According to Republic Act 11332, or the Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Health Concern Act, a public health emergency refers to an occurrence or imminent threat of an illness or health condition that would pose a high probability of a large number of deaths in the affected population. / JPS
