Council puts Poblacion Pardo and Bulacao under calamity state

The Cebu City Council has finally declared barangays Poblacion Pardo and Bulacao under the calamity state due to the dengue disease, which already claimed the lives of seven persons, mostly children.

Durenda Macasucol, assistant head of the Cebu City Health Surveillance and Statistics Unit, said city health officer Fe Cabugao has recommended the declaration of the two barangays under the state of calamity due to the increasing cases of dengue.

Records showed that for the past weeks, at least four persons have died of dengue in barangay Bulacao while three in barangay Pardo. Aside from the casualties, the disease also hospitalized several other victims from these barangays.

The declaration of the state of calamity was unanimously approved by the City Council during its regular session yesterday. This came hours after Mayor Tomas R. Osmeña summoned Cabugao to brief him about the dengue situation in the city.

Councilor Sylvan “Jack” Jakosalem announced during the session that the six-year-old son of a City Hall-hired drama talent also succumbed to dengue yesterday morning. The victim, however, is a resident of Talisay City.

The number of dengue casualties in the city had already reached 24 after the death of a child named Jasmin Flores last September 22.

Now that the council had declared Pardo and Bulacao under the calamity state, the city can now spend its calamity funds on its fight against the dreaded disease.

“Mahimong paspasan na nato ang pagpahigayon og information campaign sa maong barangay. Tudloan ang katawhan unsaon nga malikayan ang kinabuhing makalas tungod sa dengue,” said Macasucol.

Dengue is a virus brought about by mosquito bites. What makes it more fatal is that the patient’s blood would become sticky and could no longer circulate to the brain.

So it is advisable that a patient should be immediately brought to the hospital. — Rene U. Borromeo/LPM