Kidapawan City at the foot of Mount Apo (Image from Google Maps)
KIDAPAWAN CITY, Cotabato, Philippines — This city is seeing a nine-fold increase in the number of dengue cases from last year’s figures but local health officials have yet to declare an outbreak.
Data from City Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (Cesu) data showed a total of 165 dengue cases in at least five barangays from January to April 29, up from the 18 cases reported during the same period last year.
Although the Cesu did not give the exact number of patients who were hospitalized, the office reported one dengue-related death.
Jasna Sucol, coordinator for dengue cases at the City Health Office, said patients who were infected were infants to 90 years old.
Of the remaining 164 cases of infection, 85, or most of the victims, are males, while 79 are females.
Fogging
“Actually it is within a three-year cycle when a sudden increase in the number of dengue cases occur. In 2019, a state of calamity was declared [in the city] due to dengue outbreak,” Sucol said.
The city’s highly populated Barangay Poblacion registered at least 42 cases followed by the villages of Sudapin, 21; Balindog, 15; Lanao, 13; and Amas, 12.
Sucol said the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office conducted simultaneous fogging operations in surrounding villages as a preventive measure to combat the spread of the mosquito-borne disease.
The fogging operation started on April 30, prioritizing the public schools within the five districts of the Department of Education’s (DepEd) city schools division.
“This is to ensure that our learners attending [in-person] classes are safe from the dengue-carrying mosquitoes,” Sucol said.After the May 9 elections, fogging will continue in public schools that will include Junction and Kalaisan Elementary and High School; Sikitan Elementary and High School, Katipunan Elementary and San Isidro Elementary Schools; Nuangan Elementary and High School, Indangan Elementary School; Bangsamoro Elementary School and the DepEd Division Office.
Sucol urged residents to keep their areas clean and observe good hygiene and sanitation to prevent the spread of dengue in their communities.
She reminded the public to follow the Department of Health’s 4S campaign against dengue: searching and destroying breeding sites of mosquitoes, self-protection, seeking early consultation and saying yes to fogging in cases of outbreak within the community.
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