CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – The City Health Office here reported the death of two minors due to dengue in a development that raised the alarm, especially with the increase of cases in this city the past three months this year.
In an online briefer on Wednesday, April 13, CHO medical officer Dr. Ted Yu Jr. said the two deaths were from the villages of Lumbia and Carmen.
Yu expressed hope that there will be no more additional deaths after the two cases, considering that they have not recorded any single dengue death last year in the same period.
Data by CHO showed the city has recorded 290 Dengue cases from January to March this year, 120 higher compared to the 170 dengue cases recorded in 2021 in the same period.
In January this year, this city tallied 95 cases which is higher than the 55 cases in 2021. In February, a total of 86 Dengue cases were recorded, which is 36 cases higher compared to February last year.
The highest number of Dengue cases so far this year was recorded in March, where the local government has tallied 109 cases. This is much higher compared to the same period last year which saw 65 cases.
The said data also showed that Carmen village has the highest number of Dengue cases so far this year with 45, followed by Lumbia with 30 cases. The villages of Balulang and Lapasan both have 29, followed by Patag with 24 and Kauswagan 21.
The villages of Camaman-an and Canitoan also recorded 16 cases each, followed by Bayabas with 12 and single-digit dengue cases from the villages of Bulua, Macasandig, Bugo, Iponan, Gusa, Macabalan, Puntod and Cugman.
As an intervention, Yu said the local government here has strengthened the ‘5S strategy’ to fight the possible surge of dengue cases amid the ongoing threat of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
The 5S strategy consists of search and destroy mosquito-breeding sites, self-protection measures, seek early consultation, support fogging for impending outbreaks and sustain hydration.
“The 5S strategy against dengue is very important. That is why we should not wait to increase the cases and we should adopt, the soonest, the 5S strategy,” Yu said.
Yu said they will resume on Monday, April 18, after the holy week with the distribution of the IEC (Information and Education Campaign) materials to the different Barangays to intensify the 5S strategy.
“We will also coordinate with the different barangays that we need to schedule a clean-up drive again to fight Dengue,” Yu added.