Number of dengue cases in Mandaue drops

CEBU, Philippines – Mandaue City has registered a decrease in the number of dengue cases this year as compared with last year's.

But city health officials and businessmen yesterday are not putting their guard down but instead guaranteed to intensify the education campaign regarding the dis-ease.

During a regular weekly press conference with reporters yesterday, City Mayor Jonas Cortes said he was happy with the reports from the City Health Office which reported a diminishing number of dengue cases in the city. The report was made by Dr. Debbie Catulong, officer in charge of the Dengue Control Program of the Mandaue City Health Department.

Cortes attributes the declining number to efficient garbage collection.

Catulong said last year, the city of Mandaue was number five among cities in Region 7 with high cases of dengue from January to August 2007.

But in the same period last year, Catulong said the city of Mandaue placed number nine.

Catulong said barangays with dengue cases include barangay Casuntingan with 9 cases, Maguikay and Pagsabungan 6, Guizo 5, Banilad and Cabancalan have four cases each, Basak, Paknaan, and Tipolo 3 each, Alang-Alang, Bakilid, Cambaro and Canduman 2 each, Cubacub, Jagobiao, Ibabao-Estancia, Looc, and Subangdaku 1 each.

Eight barangays with no cases of dengue are Casili, Centro, Mantuyong, Opao, Tabok, Tawason, Tingub, and Umapad.

Eric Mendoza, president of the Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Antonio Dy, president of the Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Indus-try-Mandaue Chapter yesterday assured Cortes that they will help the city government in its education campaign.

Both Mendoza and Dy said one way of minimizing the cases of dengue is to educate the people. (FREEMAN)