Valenzuela troubled by steep rise in dengue cases

A steep rise in dengue cases in Valenzuela City had been monitored during the first three weeks January – a whopping 90 percent increase in the number of reported cases compared to the figures from the same period last year. Radio dzBB reported Thursday that the Valenzuela City government has already recorded 25 dengue cases from January 1 to 19, most of which were recorded in Brgys. Rincon and Gen. T. de Leon. This steep increase in dengue cases jolted the city government into intensifying its information and cleanup drive against the potentially fatal illness. The Valenzuela City government started Wednesday an intensive campaign to residents to clean their surroundings, after health officials voiced alarm over the sudden rise in dengue cases. Valenzuela City epidemiologist Manuel Mapue appealed to local residents to rely on themselves instead of the government to avoid acquiring the disease. This, even as the city government ordered a door-to-door campaign encouraging residents to keep their surroundings clean and dry, to prevent dengue-carrying mosquitoes from breeding. Since last year, health authorities had declared dengue a year-round threat, not just during the rainy season. They also warned against unnecessary fogging operations, which they said may just drive mosquitoes to other areas. - GMANews.TV