DOH: Stay clean, observe hygiene to control dengue
With the onset of the rainy season, health officials renewed warnings to guard against dengue fever-carrying mosquitoes.
Households and schools can take simple steps like checking uncovered water containers, empty tires, flower vases and rain gutters where the mosquito Aedis aegypti can lay eggs.
The mosquitos can breed in small water receptacles the size of a 25-centavo coin.
“Maintaining cleanliness and eradicating mosquito breeding sites is the most effective preventive measure against dengue fever,” said Dr. Angelita Salarda, chief of the Local Health Support Division.
Salarda advised parents to let their children avoid mosquito bites by wearing protective clothing like socks and shoes, long-sleeved tops, and long pants.
Good hygiene is also important because sweat can attract mosquitoes.
“It is important take a bath daily and wear clean clothes to keep insects away,” she said.
In case of an outbreak, DOH is ready to conduct fogging and spray larvicide to destroy mosquito pupa and larvae breeding sites, Salarda said.
The DOH has declared June as Dengue Awareness Month.
Earlier the DOH-7, through its Regional Epidemiology & Surveillance Unit (RESU), released its recent report on dengue which showed a 17 percent increase in dengue cases in Central Visayas in the first five months of 2012.
DOH has also been distributing to pubic schools chemical-soaked Olyset nets to protect children from mosquitoes.
An Olyset net is made of polyethylene, and contains the chemcial permethrin to repel and kill mosquitoes.
The DOH is especially worried dengue cases may rise this year if the two-year pattern of high dengue occurrence continues.
“It has been observed that because of different strains of dengue, the increased pattern is usually every other year, “ said Rennan Cimafranca of the RESU.
Last year and in the first five months of 2012, Cebu City had the most number of dengue cases in Central Visayas .
From January to May this year, dengue already claimed eight lives in Cebu and inflicted 1,254 persons. Last year, there were 717 dengue cases with seven deaths.
Lapu-Lapu City came in ssecond this year with 136 cases and three deaths. It was also second in the region last year with 130 reported cases and one death.
Aggravating the problem is climate change. As early as 2008, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a report on the correlation of climate change and vector-borne diseases like dengue.
“The increase in the number of dengue cases may be attributed to the constantly changing climate brought by global warming as well as congestion in urban areas,” said a WHO report.
Health authorities are also dumbfounded by mutating patterns among dengue virus and even in the behaviour of the mosquito that carries the virus. Studies previously noted that the Aedes aegypti only bite during daylight, but recent studies reveal they feed even during nighttime.
Tuburan measles update
Meanwhile, Salarda said measles stricken Tuburan town is currently receiving measles vaccine after more than 50 residents showed signs of German measles.
Dr. Nayda Bautista of DOH said blood testing will confirm if measles really hit the barangay Lusong residents.
Results will be released next week, she said.
Those who had complete shots of anti-measles vaccine need not to be immunized, Salarda said.
Only those who had none or just one dose of the vaccine will get additional shot to complete the immunization.
