Bacolod promotes dengue awareness and prevention measures
"This is the time that our 'bayanihan' spirit is being sought."
City Mayor Evelio Leonardia stressed following the rise of dengue cases in other parts of the province.
Leonardia addressed the residents of the city calling for their support, involvement and cooperation with the city government in its effort to eliminate dengue cases by cleaning their respective backyards.
In celebration of the Dengue Awareness Month this June, the City Health Office is conducting on-going activities like intensive and massive information drive to parents and purok officials in various barangays.
To date, a total of 38 barangays was covered by the team. This year's theme is "Puksain ang Kiti-kiti; Sugpuin ang Dengue."
Dengue hemorrhagic fever is an acute infectious disease manifested initially with fever. Aedes aegypti, the mosquito that transmit the disease, is a day-biting mosquito which lays egg in clear and stagnant water found in flower vases, cans rain barrels, old rubber tires. A mosquito lays 60 to 100 eggs per day. It only takes a week for the larvae to mature.
Signs and symptoms of dengue are : sudden onset of high fever which may last from 2 to 7 days; joint muscle pain and pain behind the eyes; weakness; skin rashes; nose bleeding when fever starts to subside; abdominal pain; vomiting of coffee-colored matter and dark colored stools.
Public is advised to cover water drums and water pails at all times to prevent mosquitoes from breeding. Replace water in flower vases once a week. Clean all water containers once a week. Scrub the sides well to remove eggs of mosquitoes sticking to the side. Clean gutter of leaves and debris so that rain water will not collect and become breeding places of mosquitoes. Old tires used as roof support should be punctured or cut to avoid accumulation of water. Collect and dispose all unusable tin cans, jars, bottles and other items that can collect and hold water.
The call of the local government of Bacolod is in time with the advice of the Department of Health (DOH) to local officials that the cleaning of surroundings should be done every six months to prevent the breeding of mosquitoes that spread diseases like malaria and dengue following a 6.8 percent increase of dengue cases in the country.
(PIA/EAD)