LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – Health authorities warned residents in the province to take the necessary precaution against the dreaded dengue fever following a significant increase in the number of cases over the past four months compared to the same period last year with the onset of the rainy season.
Based on the data obtained from the Provincial Health Office, there were some 373 dengue fever cases that were reported in the province from January to April this year which is around 300 percent higher than the 129 cases that were recorded during the same period last year.
Further, there was only 1 reported dengue-related death this year who was a senior citizen from La Trinidad town.
Health officials advised the residents to sustain their adherence to the regular cleanup activities in their surroundings by getting rid of containers where clear and stagnant water is stored as the same serve as the breeding ground of dengue-carrying mosquitoes.
The provincial health office is also monitoring the reported clustering of dengue cases in populated areas in the province to ensure that the same will not spread in other barangays that may cause the unnecessary surge in cases that will result to the same being out of the control.
Dengue fever is now considered a year-round illness because of reported surges in cases in the different parts of the country that pose a serious threat to the health condition of people, especially those exposed to the dengue carrying mosquitoes that thrive in clear and stagnant water.
According to the provincial health office, barangays and their constituents must conduct regular cleanup activities in their backyards to ensure that containers of clear and stagnant water will be removed to prevent the further multiplication of dengue carrying mosquitoes which spread the deadly illness.