DOH sets war room, P2.5M in campaign vs dengue

Government efforts to stop the spread of dengue got two timely shots in the arm as the Health department earmarked P2.5 million for medicines to detect the dengue virus. Radio dzXL reported Friday that the Health department's National Epidemiology Center set up a "war room" where it can monitor dengue cases in "real time." Epidemiology center head Eric Tayag said this will allow the head office in Manila to get "spot reports" from local health authorities in the areas concerned, and act accordingly. For his part, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III ordered the department to set aside P2.5 million for the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) to acquire reagents. Duque said the reagents will allow doctors to test blood samples to detect symptoms of dengue. He said the reagents can help doctors get results within 24 hours. The reagents can also help doctors determine the strain of dengue virus present in blood samples. Health authorities are working to prevent the spread of dengue, which the government had classified as a year-round threat. Duque had repeatedly appealed to residents to help in prevention by keeping their surroundings clean and dry to prevent dengue-carrying mosquitoes from breeding. - GMANews.TV