Hontiveros urges public to stay calm amid national dengue alert

MANILA, Philippines — Senator Risa Hontiveros on Monday urged the public to remain calm following the Department of Health’s (DOH) declaration of a national dengue alert.

The DOH on Monday morning announced the alert following the increase in the number of dengue cases in the country.

READ: DOH declares national dengue alert

Hontiveros, who serves as the vice-chair of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, urged the public to continue monitoring updates from the DOH.

“I call on the public to remain calm even as we all exercise awareness and readiness. I urge everyone to monitor announcements by the DOH and to listen to doctors and other medical professionals in relation to dengue prevention and treatment. We must strive to keep our communities dengue-free and provide immediate medical assistance to those infected,” Hontiveros said.

Hontiveros also called on the concerned government agencies, local government units, and non-government organizations to work with the health department for anti-dengue programs.

“I also urge the public and our local government units to remember and implement the DOH’s 4s strategy against dengue: search and destroy mosquito breeding grounds, secure self-protection, seek early consultation, and support fogging only in hotspot areas,” Hontiveros said.

While recognizing that the rising number of dengue cases in the country is “troubling,” Hontiveros also expressed confidence that it is a problem that Filipinos can solve and overcome.

DOH Secretary Francisco Duque III said a total of 106,630 dengue cases have been reported in the country from January 1 to June 29, 2019.

This was 85 percent higher than the number of  cases reported during the same period in 2018.

“This is the first time that we’re declaring a national alert. Because the objective is very clear. We want to raise awareness among the public and more importantly, in communities where signs of early dengue increases are evident,” Duque said. /ee