DOH calls for early drive vs dengue in NCR barangays
As the number of dengue cases go up in the National Capital Region (NCR), the Department of Health (DOH) urged local governments in the region to take action this summer against what is generally perceived to be a "rainy season disease." The DOH particularly urged barangay health officials in the NCR to implement an anti-dengue drive as the cases in the region went up by more than 100 percent in the first two months of the year. Dr. Irma Asuncion of the DOH Center for Health Development-Metro Manila (CHDMM) reminded local government officials at a summit on Wednesday that dengue is no longer a seasonal disease that only comes after the onset of the rainy season. Asuncion said dengue cases are now recorded all year round, and the only way to stop the spread of dengue is by eliminating the breeding grounds for dengue-carrying mosquitoes. "We really have to involve the barangay because the action should start with them," she told GMA News Online. "We want them to be aware na DOH can only do this much, but the bulk of the work is really with the barangay." The DOH urged barangay captains to formulate local ordinances and resolutions to make health and disease prevention one of their major agenda. She added that best practices and multi-sectoral initiatives must be shared with other LGUs. Through its early anti-dengue campaign, the DOH aims to bring down the number of dengue cases this year. In 2010, more than 135,000 dengue cases were reported, the worst dengue outbreak recorded in the country in the last 10 years. Most number of dengue cases Every year, the NCR records the highest number of dengue cases in the country. However, for this year, a high number of cases was already reported in January and February: 3,640 dengue cases in Metro Manila alone, a 106 percent increase from the 1,866 cases recorded in the same period in 2010. Twenty-nine deaths were already recorded this year. The cities with the most number of dengue cases are: