‘Code blue’ up in Albay as dengue cases rise

SMOKING OUT MOSQUITOES A health worker conducts fogging in Barangay Masarawag in Guinobatan, Albay province, as part of measures to stop the spread of the dengue virus. —MICHAEL JAUCIAN

LEGAZPI CITY—As a preemptive measure against a dengue outbreak in Bicol, the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC) has raised the dengue alert status to “code blue” after the increasing cases have nearly reached their threshold.

Claudio Yucot, RDRRMC chair and Office of Civil Defense (OCD) regional director, said he had directed OCD units in Bicol to activate their respective emergency operation centers (EOCs) following the new alert status.

Under code blue, 54 government agencies in the region will be tapped to help the Department of Health (DOH) fight and control the mosquito-borne disease from reaching an epidemic proportion.

The EOCs will assist health officials and communities to undertake synchronized cleanup drives for one month starting Aug. 9.

The number of deaths due to dengue in Bicol has climbed to 37, mostly children, according to the latest data from the DOH. The cases have also reached 3,631.

The DOH regional epidemiology surveillance unit has recorded a 27-percent surge in two weeks (July 18 to 29) from 2,660 cases.

Dr. Ernie Vera said they expected more cases to be reported with the onset of the rainy season. The figures recorded from January to July 27 showed a 134-percent increase compared to the 1,582 cases during the same period last year.

Camarines Sur had the highest number of cases with 1,433, followed by Albay with 679, Sorsogon, 653, Catanduanes, 485, Masbate, 242, and Camarines Norte, 135.

While the cases have reached an alarming level, the threshold level has not yet been breached to declare a dengue outbreak, Vera said, adding that “so far, what we have are only sporadic cases.”

In Tacloban City, a house-to-house drive has been conducted by the local government to encourage parents whose children have shown signs of dengue fever to visit the nearest health centers.

Mayor Alfred Romualdez said that death due to dengue might be prevented with early detection. Since January, eight people have died due to dengue fever, the city health office reported. Seven of the fatalities were children who lived in resettlement sites in the northern part of Tacloban.

Dr. Jaime Opinion, city health officer, said the house-to-house campaign was to urge parents or anyone in the household to have themselves examined if they were experiencing fever. —WITH A REPORT FROM JOEY GABIETA