Church joins drive vs. dengue
Church bells in churches in Iloilo City will ring every 4 p.m. starting Monday next week and will last for a week as part of the campaign of the Catholic Church against dengue fever.
Jaro Archbishop Angel Lagdameo last Thursday issued a circular to all parishes in the city to join the campaign against the spread of the disease.
Lagdameo said in his circular that the church bells will be rung every afternoon from July 30 to August 6 as a signal for residents of the city's 180 barangays to remove or destroy possible breeding grounds of mosquitoes carrying the virus.
Dengue, a viral disease that usually occurs during rainy season, is transmitted by the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito. These mosquitoes are considered "day biters" with two peaks of biting activities, one at sunrise and another before sunset.
Health agencies have advised the public to remove or destroy breeding grounds of these mosquitoes to prevent or minimize infection. The measures include disposing of containers that could store water like tin cans, empty bottles, used tires and other containers.
The Center for Health Development of the Department of Health regional office has reported 1,102 dengue cases that were admitted to different hospitals in Western Visayas as of July 7 this year. The figure is higher by 180 percent compared to last year's 304 cases reported in the same period.
Negros Occidental accounts for most of the cases with 670 followed by Iloilo with 389 cases. Fifteen dengue-related deaths have been reported.
In his circular, Lagdameo requested the parish priests in the city to launch an information campaign on the disease among parishioners through their sermons and allocutions.
The parishes will help in cleaning the surroundings by organizing the Parish Pastoral Council and the barangay-PPC, said Lagdameo.
The prelate also directed the parishes to coordinate with the health and barangay officials to address the disease in support of the campaign of the city government.
"As we are concerned with the spiritual health of our people, so must we also with their physical health," said Lagdameo in his circular.