Makati dengue cases take sharp drop

MANILA, Philippines–Dengue cases in Makati have plunged by about 58 percent compared to last year, a significant reduction which the Makati Health Department (MHD) attributed to the sustained clean-up drive in barangays (villages).

City health department records showed that from 191 dengue cases from January to August 2013, there were only 80 during the same period this year.

MHD head Dr. Diana Jocelyn Vaño said in a report that the decrease was due to the “sustained clean-up drive in the barangays, covering waterways, classrooms and school grounds, households and public facilities.”

She explained that the highest number of cases (61) was recorded in the Ospital ng Makati while 19 cases were listed in private hospitals and barangay health centers. “We are also hoping that there will be no more fatalities from dengue,” Vaño said, adding that there were five deaths in 2013 compared to only one so far this year.

The synchronized dengue prevention campaign was launched in 2011 by MHD and involves regular cleanup of creeks and canals in the city to destroy breeding sites of dengue-carrying mosquitoes. Makati schools have also set up mosquito larva traps to keep their surroundings free of the disease.–Maricar B. Brizuela