As other cities struggle, Marikina keeps dengue down

A sustained year-round cleanliness drive is credited for the drop in the reported number of dengue cases in Marikina City this year, City Mayor Del de Guzman said. Marikina City recorded a drop in the number of dengue cases so far this year, compared to the same period in 2010. The city health office recorded 245 dengue cases from January to mid-August this year, a 16 percent drop from the 292 cases in the same period last year. Meanwhile, dengue cases in other parts of Metro Manila continue to go up, with some cities doubling their figures in the same period last year. In an interview with Kara David on GMA News TV's "News To Go," De Guzman said the city government puts a premium on cleanliness especially at the barangay level. "Sa pamamagitan ng ating mga barangay, sinasabihan natin sila na maglinis. Almost every week naglilinis sila," he said. He said the effort to reduce the number of dengue cases in the city was not difficult because cleanliness is part of Marikeños' lifestyle. "Gusto natin mangyari, hindi lang lamok (ang mawala), pati ipis at daga para ang mga sakit na dala nito maiwasan din natin," he said. He added that the cleanliness drives are not only done at home but also in public places like schools and markets.

In a separate report, pupils of Marikina Elementary School were shown participating in the school's anti-dengue effort by helping clean the surroundings and putting up student-made posters about dengue prevention. Marikina Elementary School, and other schools in Marikina City, underwent a misting procedure to help eliminate dengue-carrying mosquitoes in classrooms, the report said. Misting is more suited than fogging for indoor use because the chemicals used in misting tend to stick to the walls of a room, leaving the walls with a coat of chemical that can kill mosquitoes instantly, the report added. The classrooms in the elementary school also have Olyset Nets on its windows, an insecticide-treated net that can kill dengue-carrying mosquitoes. In an earlier interview with GMA News Online, city health officer Dr. Honielyn Fernando said the city health office is proud that their efforts are proving effective in reducing the number of dengue cases, but she said she does not want residents to become complacent about dengue prevention. "Kahit na mababa (ang dengue cases), dengue pa rin 'yan. May mga pasyente pa rin, hindi naman zero. Patuloy pa rin kaming maglilinis para mabawasan pa ang kaso ng dengue," she said. Clean environment Meanwhile, Health Secretary Enrique Ona said that in the absence of medicines and vaccines that are proven to prevent dengue, the major intervention that a person can do against the mosquito-borne viral disease is to clean the environment. At a press briefing on Friday, Ona said the Health Department launched a new anti-dengue effort that focuses on cleanliness at the barangay level. The program, called ABKD (Aksyon Barangay Kontra Dengue), urges communities to clean their surroundings to prevent the breeding of dengue-carrying mosquitoes. The ABKD campaign focuses on eliminating the breeding grounds of dengue-carrying mosquitoes and making sure garbage in the community is disposed of properly and immediately. — RSJ/HS, GMA News