With the Department of Health (DOH) warning of possible dengue outbreaks in nine local government units, two barangays in Metro Manila have initiated projects aimed at controlling the spread of the disease in their localities.
In Matandang Balara, Quezon City, barangay chairman Allan Franza recently launched “Lumang Gulong Palit Hollow Block” which rewards hollow blocks to those who turn in unused old tires. Throwaway tires become breeding places for mosquitoes during the rainy season.
Barangay Addition Hills in Mandaluyong City, on the other hand, has put up a bounty – one peso for every five mosquitoes, dead or alive.
Carlito Cernal, village captain in Addition Hills, said the awareness-raising project he initiated could have a “huge impact” on curbing the tropical disease’s spread when combined with local clean-up efforts.
Iluminado Candasua brought three live specimens in a sealed plastic cup that were duly counted and transferred by village officials to their so-called death chamber, a glass-enclosed UV light machine.
“It’s very hard to capture mosquitoes,” Candasua told AFP, explaining how he strategically chose a darkly lit fire station where he used a cup to manually trap the insects against a wall.
Candasua said the peso he got for his efforts, worth little more than a US penny, would go into a piggy bank he’s using to save for a cellphone for his child.
The World Health Organization ranked the Philippines as the country most affected by dengue in the Western Pacific region in 2023 when it had 167,355 cases and 575 deaths.
The country has seen an “unusual rise” in cases this year, with 28,200 patients recorded as of February 1, according to Department of Health spokesman Dr. Albert Domingo, a 40 percent increase from the same period last year.
Five cities and municipalities have declared outbreaks. With AFP