Guv: Prioritize campaign against dengue
Iloilo Gov. Arthur Defensor Sr. urged the mayors in the province to prioritize the campaign against dengue fever in their respective localities to prevent the increase of dengue cases.
Defensor met with the mayors at the Capitol yesterday after he declared a state of calamity following a dengue outbreak in Iloilo.
Dengue prevention needs the participation of the entire community especially the schools, he said, particularly in the massive clean-up activities to eradicate the breeding places of dengue-carrying mosquitoes.
Defensor asked the mayors to determine the exact needs of their respective areas in addressing dengue cases so that this will be given priority in the allocation from the five-percent calamity fund.
Medicines and laboratory reagents will be bought using the calamity fund.
Part of the fund will also be used to enhance the capacity and manpower of hospitals and to intensify information dissemination campaign.
The mayors also agreed to conduct massive bloodletting activities so there will ample blood supply for dengue patients.
Defensor had also directed hospitals chiefs to accommodate indigent dengue patients for free. The processing fee for blood requirements of dengue patients will also be shouldered by the provincial government.
As of August 7, dengue cases in Iloilo have reached 1,670 cases with 12 deaths.
‘TAWA-TAWA’ HERB
Meanwhile, the Iloilo Provincial Health Office has warned the public against using the herbal plant locally known as “tawa-tawa” (Euphorbia hirta Linn.) to cure dengue.
Provincial Health Officer Grace Trabado said there is no study that says the herbal plant is an effective cure for dengue hemorrhagic fever when the patient drinks its boiled water extract.
Trabado said the PHO has received reports on dengue patients resorting to tawa-tawa to combat dengue, but she said the practice is risky.
Research shows that “tawa-tawa” may have natural enzymes that stabilize the membranes of the blood vessels, preventing internal bleeding.
But there are no clinical studies to verify this and shed light on the herb’s potency, possible toxicity and side effects.*MGC
