Fewer dengue cases in QC this year

MANILA, Philippines — The number of dengue cases recorded in Quezon City decreased in the first seven months of the year even as the country faces a nationwide epidemic due to the rise in cases elsewhere in the Philippines.

Mayor Joy Belmonte, citing data from the city’s epidemiology and surveillance unit, said the total number of dengue cases from Jan. 1 to July dropped by 22 percent from 3,498 cases to 2,730 cases.

The number of casualties caused by the illness during the same period also dropped from 26 to 21 individuals.

But despite the drop in cases, Belmonte still ordered concerned local agencies and barangay officials to double their efforts in combating the mosquito-borne disease.

“I have ordered concerned city agencies, particularly the City Health Office, and our barangay officials to strengthen their anti-dengue campaign especially now that a national epidemic has already been declared,” she said in Filipino.

With the number of cases recorded in other parts of the country, the mayor last month ordered measures to be put in place to prevent the further increase in dengue cases in the city.

She assured the availability of rapid diagnostics test kits in health centers to help diagnose and assess dengue cases, as well as directed a referral mechanism for patients with warning signs of dengue and need immediate hospitalization to government hospitals within the city.

In addition, Belmonte also instructed the Barangay and Community Relation Department and the Environmental Protection and Waste Management Department to maintain the city’s cleanliness and get rid of mosquitoes’ breeding grounds. ­