Rural Health Unit (RHU) of Bauko reported a significant decrease of dengue cases in the municipality in the first quarter of 2023 with 19 cases compared to the first quarter of 2022 with 30 cases.
What is Dengue?
According to Ronald Jay Cajigan, Sanitary Inspector of RHU, dengue is a mosquito borne viral infection transmitted by the bite of an infected female Aedes mosquito. This is a deadly disease but it is highly preventable.
It is transmitted by a day-biting mosquito called Aedes aegypti or Aedes albopictus that lay eggs in clear and stagnant water mostly in artificial containers like discarded tires, open drums, plastics, bottles, tin cans, and flower vases. It can also lay eggs in natural containers like bromeliads and tree holes. Unlike other mosquitoes, Aedes aegypti is a daytime feeder. Its peak biting periods are early in the morning and before dusk in the evening.
In the data provided by the Environmental Health and Sanitation Office, there is a total number of 148 recorded cases of dengue in Bauko during the year of 2022 and for the first quarter of the year 30 cases was recorded.
For the first quarter of 2023, a total of 129 cases were recorded from which most of the affected are children, thus raising the need for a collective clean-up activities.
Activities against dengue
According to Julien Pineda, Barangay Secretary of Poblacion Bauko, they were conducting a Monthly Community Cleaning every 3rd Saturday of the month. Through this activity the cases of dengue are lessened by cleaning canals, drainage, tires, and pathways. The clean-up drive is designed to work together in promoting a clean environment and implementing preventive measures to keep the residents from mosquito related diseases. Among the activities done were clearing drainages and disposing water from cans, tires, and drums.
She added that most of the residents are actively participating in the barangay clean up drive activities. This is in line with the Ecological Waste Management Ordinances enforced by barangay Poblacion. Furthermore, she emphasized the importance of community participation and the implementation of the ordinances among the people.
One of the reasons on the decrease of dengue cases in the municipality is the DCZ-JE Vector Surveillance conducted by the RHU. The DCZ-JE will determine what type of mosquitoes collected from each sample to be focused under the microscope. This will serve as a track to control mosquito exactly where the larval and adult mosquito population are located.
This preventive and vector control intervention aims to reduce dengue transmission, thereby decreasing the incidence of infection and preventing outbreaks of disease.
Civic participation
Cajigan also reiterated that any successful efforts to control the rise of dengue cases must be centered on the ability of the barangays to sustain the intervention with sound monitoring and evaluation.
With the decrease in the number of dengue cases in Bauko, MHO continuously encourages the constituents to conduct and strengthen the Oplan Taob program. This nationwide project was claimed by the Department of Health (DOH) to be effective against dengue.
Oplan TaobIt is part of the 4S campaign of the DOH. The first S stands for “Search and Destroy” which encourages everyone to make a habit of turning over anything that mosquito eggs can inhabit such as tires and, bottles filled with stagnant water.
Regina Dacyon, a resident of Barangay Poblacion shared that these activities of the barangay helps to suppress dengue and ensures the safety of every resident. She further noted that the participation of everyone is also important to prevent and reduce dengue cases in their area. t
She added that the resident must be responsible in cleaning their areas. “Amin dapat nga bumarangay han nga dapat nga makarkargaan ti danum dagijay mabalin nga pagbalayan da ta agitlog da, nu ada nakita nga narugit nga danum ibelleng (Residents should be responsible in checking possible mosquito egg hatch, in order to prevent that pools of water must be drained.)” By Rina Althea O. Laxamana
