Department of the Interior and Government (DILG) Secretary Benjamin ‘Benhur’ Abalos Jr. urged local government units (LGUs) to step up clean-up drives and related activities as the country’s dengue cases have risen by an alarming 143 percent this year.

He said the LGUs should prioritize their dengue countermeasures down to the grassroots level, especially that millions of students have gone back to face-to-face classes, in a bid to reduce these cases by the end of the year.

“Dengue remains to be a public health threat and with the escalating cases in the country today, LGUs must take a proactive stance and implement strategies to protect our people in the communities from this deadly disease,” Abalos said.

“Hindi na po tayo bago sa dengue outbreak at napagtagumpayan na natin ito. Sa pangunguna ng mga LGU sa pamayaman, malalagpasan ulit natin ito (The dengue outbreak is not new to us and we can get this over with. With the LGU taking the lead, we can get through this),’’ he added.

According to the Department of Health (DOH), the 118,785 recorded cases from Jan. 1 to Aug. 13, 2022 translated to a 143 percent jump which is a far cry from the 48,867 cases in the same period last year.

The DOH data showed that most dengue cases this year or 18 percent were reported in Central Luzon at 21,247 followed by Central Visayas with 11,390 cases (10 percent), and the National Capital Region (NCR) with 11,064 (9 percent). The death toll due to dengue across the country has also reached 400 last month.

Abalos said as dengue cases increase, the LGUs must lead in implementing measures that can counter its proliferation, especially in regions of the country, where dengue cases are high.

Fighting dengue in the barangays

Abalos said LGUs can activate the Aksyon Barangay Kontra Dengue (ABKD) in all communities to elicit a movement to counter the spread of dengue in communities.

He added that the ABKD, an inter-agency effort against dengue, has been institutionalized since 2012 and has led to victories in the battle against the deadly disease.

Under ABKD, the punong barangays (PBs) shall lead in the clean-up drive within the community by mobilizing volunteers, residents, and barangay health teams such as the Barangay Health Emergency Response Team and Barangay Health Workers.

The DILG chief also noted that the local chief executives (LCE) are expected to monitor the health situation in their jurisdiction; provide dengue data for partner agencies; and ensure dengue patients are provided with timely and proper medical attention, among others.

Abalos likewise urged the public to partake in reducing dengue cases by exercising the ‘Enhanced 4S’ or the search and destroy breeding sites; seek early consultation; self-protection; and say ‘Yes’ to fogging only in hotspot areas where an increase is registered for two consecutive weeks.

“What we learned during the pandemic is that the government cannot eliminate a disease alone. Kailangan po ang pakikiisa ng ating mga kababayan upang maging matagumpay ang ating mga hakbangin kontra dengue. Magtulungan po tayo (The public’s cooperation is needed for the successful drive against dengue),’’ Abalos stated. (Chito A. Chavez)