City residents told to join clean-up drive vs. dengue
In an effort to prevent the spread of dengue-carrying mosquitoes, Mayor Jerry Treñas again called on city residents to help conduct massive clean-up operations in their respective households and barangays. The clean-up drive is a pro active measure to contain the problem against dengue hemorrhagic fever.
Treñas’s call is in response to the dengue hemorrhagic fever outbreak in Veteran’s Village wherein 13 cases were reported. The City Health Office (CHO) is still verifying if there are already recorded deaths of dengue in the said barangay.
CHO record from January to April of this year showed four recorded deaths.
The city’s control measures include the declogging of drainage system which is handled by the City Engineer's Office while the CHO office is prepared whenever there is a need to have fogging operations in the affected barangays. So far, Veterans Village is the first barangay to have the most number of dengue cases.
Residents are asked to get rid of mosquito breeding places such as old tires, cans and other containers. The dengue carrying mosquitoes also inhabit in dark places and stagnant water. The symptoms for a person with dengue viruses range from mild fever to incapacitating fever with severe headache. The person also experiences pain behind the eyes, muscle and joint pain and rash.
Early medical attention and careful management by doctors increase the survival rate of patients. There are cases wherein victims are only brought to the hospital when they suffer from abdominal pain, vomiting and bleeding aside from fever. Hydration of the patient is important.
Mayor Treñas said the clean-up drive is important in the campaign against dengue. “Cleaning our surroundings is very important as a pro-active measure to contain the problem against dengue infection,” he said. In several instances, Treñas has sought the cooperation of the punong barangay in the clean-up drive and proper reporting of the dengue cases.
Aside from the clean-up drive, the city government has already conducted massive information campaign in city’s 180 barangays to fight dengue-carrying mosquitoes. Flyers and information campaign materials were distributed to the different health centers for their references once dengue cases hit their areas. The city health and private doctors have already learned how to manage dengue cases. We have not much problem in the past few years,” Treñas said.