DILG calls for LGUs’ ‘proactive stance,’ strategies vs dengue

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Wednesday issued a call to action for all local government units (LGUs) to take preventative measures against the spread of dengue in their communities.

Interior Benjamin Abalos Jr. stressed that the LGUs and their local communities must do more to fight the disease now that the number of reported dengue cases has gone up by percent this year.

“Dengue remains to be a public health threat, and with the escalating cases in the country today, LGUs must take a proactive stance and implement strategies to protect our people in the communities from this deadly disease,” he said in a statement.

From January 1 to August 13, 2022, 118,785 cases were reported to the Department of Health (DOH), which is a 143 percent increase from the same time last year, when only 48,867 cases were reported.

Three regions make up most of the dengue cases this year — 21,247 (18 percent) from Central Luzon, 11,390 (10 percent) from Central Visayas, and 11,064 (9 percent) from the National Capital Region (NCR).

The death toll also hit 400 last month.

Barangay-level response vs dengue

Abalos said that Aksyon Barangay Kontra Dengue could be launched by the barangays of each LGU (ABKD). This multi-agency effort against the spread of the deadly disease started in 2012 to get the community involved.

Under ABKD, Punong Barangays, along with the Barangay Health Emergency Response Team and Barangay Health Workers, are tasked to lead the residents in the clean-up drive within their communities, while the Local Chief Executives are expected to update their partner agencies with recent dengue data and provide dengue patients with proper medical assistance.

Furthermore, Abalos advised the public, especially in hotspot areas, to practice the “Enhanced 4S”: search and destroy breeding sites, seek early consultation and self-protection, and say “yes” to fogging and spraying.

Irish Lorraine Perez, Inquirer.net trainee

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