Laoag
City—To address the increasing number of
dengue cases, Ilocos Norte Governor Matthew Joseph M. Manotoc signed Executive
Order No. 15-19, enjoining the whole province to “exercise extreme vigilance against
dengue,” on August 23, 2019.
According to the Provincial
Health Office’s (PHO) data, from January to August 16, 2019 Ilocos Norte
recorded a total of 1,160 cases with two reported fatalities.
PHO officer-in-charge Dr.
Josephine Ruedas remarked that the province is on alert threshold, explaining,
“Compared to last year, tumaas ang [dengue] cases dito. Last
year, konti lang ang ating cases pero marami ang namatay.”
As part of its response, the
PHO is also conducting active surveillance in communities to identify the
causes of the increasing number of dengue cases in the province.
“We take this very seriously
and I hope we can all do our part in combatting this problem,” Mr. Manotoc stressed.
EO No. 15-19 also states that
all local government units including all sectors are ordered to enforce
preventive measures in mitigating dengue incidents, especially this rainy
season.
The firmer implementation of
Department of Health’s “Enhanced 4S Strategy” (search and destroy breeding
sites, self-protect, seek early consultation, and say “yes” to fogging only in
hotspot areas), and the activation of the “Aksyon Barangay Kontra Dengue Campaign”
are the main anti-dengue efforts stipulated in the EO.
In addition, people are
encouraged to practice the “4 o’clock habit”, or to clean surroundings and
destroy mosquito-breeding sites every day at 4 PM. The healthcare units must
also facilitate chemical interventions to kill mosquito eggs, and reproduce
DOH-provided IEC materials to strengthen information dissemination to all
barangays.
Moreover, Ms. Ruedas assured
that all rural health units in the province are now equipped with DOH trained and
competent health workers, medical supplies and paraphernalia. (Blessing
Angel V. Agliam)
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