CEBU CITY – Authorities here called for vigilance after dengue cases went up in the first seven months of the year.
Data from the Cebu City Health Department (CCHD) showed that 1,228 dengue cases and 10 deaths were recorded from Jan. 1 to July 18, 12.35 percent higher compared to the same period last year with 1,093 cases and three deaths.
According to the CCHD, nearly half of all of the dengue patients, 498, were children aged one- to 10-years-old.
Most of the cases involved male patients with 661 cases.
From July 12 to 18, this city logged 17 new dengue cases.
While figures are increasing, the number of cases has yet to breach epidemic thresholds.
Cebu City's dengue situation remains to be classified by the Department of Health-Central Visayas as endemic.
Most of the cases were recorded in Barangay Guadalupe with 80 followed by Basak San Nicolas (64), Lahug (57), Labangon (53), Tisa (48), Mambaling (44), Kalunasan (40), Punta Princesa (37), and Pasil (36).
Kamputhaw, Duljo, Quiot, and Talamban tallied 34 cases each.
Councilor David “Dave” Tumulak, chairman of the city council's committee on health, urged the public to remain vigilant.
Tumulak said clogged canals and stagnant water left by weeks of rain have contributed to the spread of dengue-carrying mosquitoes.
"From the continuous rains we have experienced this year, many drainage canals have stagnant water because they have not been cleaned or cleared of garbage. This obstructs the flow of water and becomes breeding sites for mosquitoes that carry dengue," Tumulak said on Thursday, July 30.