The Pasig City local government said on Tuesday, May 24, that it has deployed a new task force against dengue, another health concern that is mainly brought by the rainy season
In his Facebook post, Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto announced the deployment of the local government unit's Anti-Dengue Task Force tasked to clean, fumigate, and monitor high-risk areas in the city against dengue-causing mosquitoes.
"Araw-araw may Oplan Kaayusan (declogging, manhole cover repair, tree-trimming, spaghetti wire removal, repainting, debris hauling, etc.). Pero may bago kanina-- kasama namin ang Anti-Dengue Task Force! (We are conducting Oplan Kaayusan operations everyday which include declogging, manhole cover repairs, tree-trimming, spaghetti wire removal, repainting, debris hauling, etc. But earlier, we were accompanied by a new team in our operation -- the Anti-Dengue Task Force)," Sotto said.
Sotto added that the task force consists of three teams who are roving around high-risk areas in Pasig.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, dengue viruses are transmitted to people through the bite of an infected Aedes species (Ae. aegypti or Ae. albopictus) mosquito. It added that almost half of the world’s population, about 4 billion people, live in areas with a risk of dengue.
Signs and symptoms of dengue include severe headache; fever; retro-orbital pain; muscle, joint, and bone pain; macular or maculopapular rash; and minor hemorrhagic manifestations, including petechiae, ecchymosis, purpura, epistaxis, bleeding gums, hematuria, or a positive tourniquet test result.
On April 12, the Department of Health (DOH) announced that it saw a spike in dengue cases in some provinces across four different regions.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said that the rise in cases was seen in some provinces in Zamboanga Peninsula, Cagayan Valley, Western Visayas, and Davao Region.
Though cases in the first quarter of the year were lower than in 2021, dengue infections are rising in some areas in the country.