THE increase in dengue cases all over Cebu has prompted the Cebu Provincial Board to declare an outbreak and the Cebu City Council to declare a state of calamity.
Cebu Provincial Board Member Christopher Baricuatro said the declaration of an outbreak seeks to increase people’s awareness so they will prepare and control the spread of dengue.
The Cebu City Council, on the other hand, declared a state of calamity in the city to facilitate the use of resources in containing dengue infection.
The city has been in a state of dengue alertness since last year due to the abnormally high occurrence of dengue infection, especially during months of abundant rainfall.
In a joint resolution, Cebu City Councilors David Tumulak and Mary Ann delos Santos said this year has shown an alarming increase in the number of dengue cases compared to the last three years.
“The City Health Department [CHD] has recommended for the declaration in the city to maximize the use of their resources in the eradication of dengue,” they said.
Tumulak heads the committee on health and sanitation while delos Santos has been designated as deputy mayor on health by City Mayor Tomas Osmeña.
Out of 2,089 recorded cases this year, 23 deaths have been reported as of October 1. This is the highest death toll on the infection the city has had for the last three years.
In 2013, five deaths were reported out of 1,933 recorded cases. The cases dropped by 660 to 1,273 in 2014, with five reported deaths, while dengue cases increased to 2,145 in 2015, with 16 recorded deaths.
Earlier, the DOH identified four villages in Cebu City as dengue hotspots.
Rennan Cimafranca, chief of the Regional Epidemiological and Surveillance Unit (RESU) 7 of DOH 7, identified the dengue hotspots in the city as barangays Guadalupe, Lahug, Labangon, Barrio Luz and Tisa.
Cimafranca said more than two new cases of dengue are recorded per week in their respective areas.
Earlier, the Cebu City Council declared a state of calamity in the city due to the increase in dengue cases so that the city can tap calamity funds to control the spread of dengue.
