Taguig Mayor Lino Edgardo Cayetano has challenged the city’s barangay officials and community leaders to aim for the lowest dengue attack rate in their respective areas amid reports of dengue surge in the country.
Cayetano made the challenge during the three-day Dengue Summit last week, aimed at increasing awareness about the disease and how to prevent it from spreading in the community.
The city chief executive emphasized that with the help of the barangays, the city will be able to ensure that Taguig will remain a healthy city ensuring healthy lives and well-being for all.
Dubbed “End Dengue: Starts With Me,” the summit took place even with a low attack rate in Taguig of 3.29 percent as of June 30, and zero fatalities as of the same period.
Cayetano said the planning workshop was conducted amid a Department of Health declaration of a national dengue alert.
Barangay officials from Districts 1 and 2 and representatives from the department of education in Taguig and Pateros specifically learned more about the roles of Aksyon Barangay Kontra Dengue (ABKD) in the community, the importance of ovicidal and larvicidal traps, and integrated vector management, among others.
The participants also learned to practice the enhanced 4S in dealing with dengue”•Search and destroy all mosquito breeding sites, Self-protection measures, Seek early consultation and Say “YES” to space spraying and residual spraying in areas with dengue clustering”•from highly qualified and known personalities in the medical and academic fields.
These included University of the Philippines-Manila’s College of Public Health Prof. Myra Mistica, DOH-National Capital Region Entomologist Dominic Sotto, and DOH-NCR’s Chimmy Dawn Aquino.
Also in attendance during the event were Department of Interior and Local Government – Taguig City Director Gemma Dancil and Barangay Affairs Office officer-in-charge Evelyn Arago.
“Even before DOH’s declaration of a national dengue alert on Monday, the city has long been planning for this Dengue Summit to gather all barangays officials because you have a crucial role in fighting this viral disease in the community,” said Cayetano. Joel E. Zurbano
Based on a presentation during the summit, the city’s target was an attack rate of less than five percent and a fatality rate of less than one percent.
Taguig has long been proactive with its fight against dengue with its year-round misting and larviciding operations and cleanup drives to eliminate mosquito breeding sites.
Larvitraps are also distributed and set up in various barangays in the city. Dengue lectures and trainings are also conducted in schools and in the city’s 28 barangays to raise awareness on the viral illness and how it can be prevented.
