CEBU CITY – This city has recorded an alarming number of dengue cases in the first five months of the year with 422, way higher than the 13 recorded in the same period last year, city health officials said on Thursday (May 19).

Dr. Jeffrey Ibones, chief of the City Health Department (CHD), also said the deaths caused by dengue from January to May have also reached 36, significantly higher than the 13 that were recorded in the same period last year.

Ibones revealed that most of those who died were belatedly brought to the hospital.

“Most of the patients were children and when they were brought to the hospital, their condition was already severe. That’s why those who have fever must be checked right away to prevent deaths,” said Ibones.

Ibones said the spike could be attributed to a lot of factors and that include the recent typhoons that hit the country.

“A lot of houses were destroyed and there could be some debris that were not cleared and became breeding ground of mosquitoes,” explained Ibones.

“It’s important to teach the public the ‘search and destroy’ to eliminate mosquitoes,” added Ibones.

Based on the records of CHD, 10 barangays in the city have high cases of dengue. They are Lahug, Guadalupe, Mambaling, Labangon, Quiot, Kamputhaw, Capitol Site, Punta Princesa, Inayawan, Tisa, Kalunasan and Pardo.

To prevent the cases from rising further, Ibones said barangay captains have been oriented on how to destroy the dengue virus-carrying mosquitoes' cycle and protect the community from dengue.

Ibones said the CHD will also coordinate with the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) to strengthen the campaign against dengue.

Ibones said that each barangay has a dengue task force.

“We have also designated a point person in every barangay who will closely monitor those who are experiencing symptoms to undergo laboratory tests. That way, we can detect dengue cases early,” Ibones said.