S. Cotabato town under calamity as dengue kills 2

KORONADAL CITY—A town in South Cotabato province had been placed under a state of calamity after two residents died of dengue fever and 33 others were diagnosed of the disease, local officials said on Saturday.

Vice Mayor Pinky Divinagracia of Surallah town said the situation has reached an alarming level as more cases were being reported even in villages that were previously dengue-free.

She said 33 cases of dengue were reported in the town last month. These were concentrated in seven of Surallah’s 17 villages, which are adjoining communities.

“The dengue-carrying mosquitoes [seemed] confined in these communities but [cases are] slowly spreading,” she said. “This is alarming [but] we are addressing it.”

Divinagracia said they have urged residents to clean their surroundings and get rid of possible breeding sites of mosquitoes such as used tires, water containers, and stagnant canals and drains.

Health officials said the mild to moderate rain experienced in South Cotabato the past weeks could have contributed in the growth of mosquito larvae in water containers or empty bottles.

To help contain the rising dengue cases, Divinagracia said the local government would buy fogging machines and chemicals, along with medicines for dengue patients. Edwin Fernandez, Inquirer Mindanao