Garcia eyes ‘health emergency’ declaration

CEBU, Philippines — Cebu City acting Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia is looking at declaring a “State of Public Health Emergency” following the surge of dengue cases in the city.

The city, so far, recorded 597 confirmed cases of and eight deaths due to dengue. The youngest fatality was three years old, with 75 as the oldest.

Garcia said they have been monitoring the number of dengue cases since July and have noted a steady rise, prompting the City Health Department (CHD) to make the recommendation, which he is inclined to implement.

“In fact, we have already recorded eight deaths in Cebu City. It is a cause for alarm, mao gusto nako ipahibawo aron they can be aware and implement countermeasures,” he said.

While his regular press conference is only on Mondays, he called a special press conference yesterday morning to make the announcement.

In an interview, Dr. Daisy Villa, CHD head, said the eight deaths were in barangays of Buhisan, Lorega San Miguel, Poblacion Pardo, Sapangdaku, Mabolo, Day-as, Cogon Pardo, and Lusaran.

Last year, only 27 dengue cases were recorded, with zero deaths, within the same period. This means that the number of cases in Cebu City for this year surged by 2,211 percent.

Villa, however, said that this cannot be considered an outbreak yet but rather just a health emergency.

She said they do not want to cause an alarm, as it is not just Cebu City but the whole country that is experiencing an increase in the number of dengue cases, but the mayor wanted to focus public attention on the problem so they would be more careful.

“Last year, gamay ra kaayo tag kaso, for the past previous years, wala sad tay death,” Villa said.

Garcia said he would meet with Villa again to discuss the necessity of declaring a health emergency.

When asked about the factors that may have contributed to the rise of dengue cases, Villa said it boils down to the cleanliness at home, particularly the removal and prevention of breeding grounds of mosquitoes.

She said that regardless of multiple cleanup drives, if the homes are not properly rid of breeding sites, risk mitigation activities would just be for naught.

She also encouraged early consultations, which to her may have been overlooked by many.

“Kadaghanan, late na nga mangadto sa hospital, kay naay mga komplikasyon nga ‘nya maglisod na,” she said.

Also yesterday, the CHD distributed Olyset nets to be installed on the windows of various schools in the city, to bar the entry of mosquitoes. Aside from this, it also distributed larvicidal to be used in misting an area as among the proactive measures.

Villa further said they have encouraged the barangays to implement curtain impregnation to also implement more protection against dengue.

Villa also announced that they were given misting machines from the (Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, which will be used by sanitary inspectors.

She added they will also have to study and conduct an analysis to address the concerns of dengue cases, better. According to her, they will have to implement clustering to be able to study where the first case of dengue surfaced.

As of yesterday, Villa said they have informed Garcia of their efforts, including encouraging the public to raise their awareness of the importance of immediate consultations.

“Para ma avoid sa komplikasyon ug death,” said Villa.

Villa further said that they have to recommend such measures to encourage the public to go hand in hand with the government to address the dengue problem.

Should the State of Public Health Emergency be officially declared, she said they would have to be more diligent and vigilant.. (CEBU NEWS)