Alvarado oders cleanup activities all over Bulacan
CITY OF MALOLOS – Gov. Wilhelmino M. Sy-Alvarado instructed the Provincial Public Health Office (PPHO) to lead the community awareness campaign to heighten the cleanup activities of every barangay all over Bulacan to fight the deadly dengue virus.
Although not all are affected by the deadly virus, some residents and workers from the local government units from the three cities and 21 municipalities spent the long weekend cleaning schools, offices, churches, markets, drainage canals and gutters and also emptied stagnant waters.
Based on the record of Provincial Epidemiology Surveillance Unit of PPHO there are already 3,137 cases of dengue from January to August 22, 2015 or 202 percent higher compared to 1,038 cases reported last year during the same period. Eight deaths were also reported, four from San Rafael, one each from cities of San Jose del Monte and Malolos, and from Pulilan and Norzagaray.
Among the towns and cities with the most number of reported dengue cases are San Jose del Monte City with 529 cases, San Rafael with 336 cases, Santa Maria with 287, Bustos with 219 and San Miguel with 189.
PPHO head Dr. Jocelyn Gomez said that dengue cases started to rise in June, the beginning of the rainy season.
The report also states that 105 barangays are with dengue clustering or with three or more reported cases in four successive weeks of August, 2015 while 37 barangays are considered hotspot or barangays with dengue clustering and increased cases in two successive weeks.
Dr. Gomez said they are continuously monitoring the rise of dengue cases aside from conducting simultaneous community assemblies and dialogue with local health officials and officers to push for simultaneous barangay cleanup, larval surveys, community forums and spraying/misting operations to hot spot barangays and Dengue Wizard designation in hospitals among others.
The Aedes aegypti mosquito is the main vector that transmits the viruses causing dengue disease.
Dengue infection rates are higher in outdoors and during active biting time of mosquitoes during daytime (5:00am-8:00am) and before sunset (5:00pm-8:00pm) where mosquitoes fly an average of 400 meters and bite, thus virus transmission within active biting time are higher.
Still health officers are pursuing the 4S preventive and control campaign; Search and destroy operation, seek early consultation, self protection and Spraying only when there is known mortality due to dengue in verified communities.