The Makati City local government distributed various plants that help prevent the proliferation of dengue-causing mosquitoes in one of its barangays on Tuesday, September 10.

(Photos from Makati LGU)

Officials from the Makati Health Department (MHD) and Department of Environmental Services (DES)  handed out plants such as Citronella, Oregano, Lantana, and Lemongrass to residents of Barangay Guadalupe Nuevo.

According to the MHD, these plants contain natural properties that mosquitoes do not like.

Makati City Mayor Abby Binay urged other residents of the city to maintain the cleanliness of their surroundings and remove stagnant water that accumulates after the rains. She also urged them to dispose of old tires and garden decorations that could become a nest for mosquitoes.

Aside from the distribution of anti-dengue plants, the city continues to provide its students with anti-dengue kits. Each kit contains a 250 ml mosquito repellent lotion and a wrist band with four citronella capsules that last up to three months per piece.

Ovi-larvi traps were also installed in several key locations in the city determined by its experts.

Ovi-larvi traps attracts egg-laying female mosquitoes and kills their eggs and larvae for it to not grow anymore.

In August this year, the Department of Health (DOH) observed a “trend of higher case detection” coupled with a lower case fatality rate for dengue.

Citing its most recent epidemiological data covering the period from January 1 to August 10, the DOH recorded 150,354 dengue cases nationwide.

This figure represents a 39 percent increase compared to the 107,953 cases reported during the same period last year.

The agency also noted a 24 percent increase in dengue cases, from 18,784 cases recorded between June 30 and July 13, 2024, to 23,290 cases from July 14 to July 27, 2024.

While there was a “lower number of cases” recorded from July 28 to August 10, DOH epidemiologists cautioned that there might be “delayed consultations and reports.”