In Pangasinan, dengue surge seen cause of poor economy

SAN CARLOS CITY—A health official in Pangasinan said while the erratic weather played a major role in the surge of dengue cases in the province, the poor economy could also be blamed.

“We were not able to anticipate the rainy days,” said Dr. Anna de Guzman, provincial health officer.

“Besides, with the rising cost of petroleum products and basic commodities, people focused on looking for food on their table rather than clean their surroundings,” she said.

She said cleaning one’s surroundings helps eliminate breeding areas of mosquitoes carrying the dengue virus.

The province recorded 1,214 dengue cases from January to Aug. 15 this year, compared to the 439 cases recorded in the same period last year. There were 10 deaths this year, compared to six last year.

“We are hoping that the number of cases will start to go down by the end of this month up to September,” De Guzman said.

She said her office has been pushing local governments to launch massive cleanup and vermin control drives.

“If they do vermin control activity every six months, flies, mosquitoes, cockroaches and rats will be exterminated,” she said.

Gov. Amado Espino Jr. on Monday visited the Pangasinan Provincial Hospital to see how the facility has been responding to dengue patients.

“From what I saw, we have been able to respond well to the dengue patients. We have sufficient blood supply for those who need it and we have medicines,” Espino said.

De Guzman said she did not recommend to the provincial board that Pangasinan be declared under a state of calamity because the situation is not alarming enough compared to those in other provinces in the Ilocos region.

The Ilocos, composed of Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union and Pangasinan, is among the top four regions in the country with increasing dengue cases. Other areas are Metro Manila, Cagayan Valley and Central Luzon.

The provincial boards of La Union and Ilocos Sur have declared their provinces under a state of calamity so they could access funds to stop the spread of the disease and help dengue patients. Gabriel Cardinoza, Inquirer Northern Luzon