Mayor Honey Lacuna announced that there is no dengue outbreak in Manila, as she also tasked the Manila Health Department headed by Dr. Arnold Pangan, barangay officials and district hospital chiefs to intensify their preventive measures against dengue.
“Guided by the Dengue Surveillance Report by the Manila Health Department, I have instructed the MHD and the Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office to deploy additional anti-mosquito larvae (larvicide) kits to barangays where a rise in dengue cases has been observed. We also have intensified misting operations,” the mayor said.
According to Lacuna, it is clear that there is no dengue outbreak in Manila as it case fatality rate stands at just 0.62% and its attack rate is only 7.18. An attack rate of 10 to 100 per 10,000 population is considered high, particularly when sustained over time or occurring in a densely populated area.
Of the 897 barangays in Manila, 25 were found with clustering or increase in the number of dengue cases and most of those hit are aged five to 39.
The highest number of cases were found in Districts 1, 5 and 6. Four were reported to have died and three of them are from District 3. A total of 51 barangays were subjected to misting as of February 14.
“Ang kabuuang bilang ng barangay dito sa Maynila ay 897. Ang total population ng Maynila ay nasa 1.91 million. Kaya kung ibabangga dito ang bilang ng dengue cases buong lungsod, malinaw na malayung-malayo ang Maynila “outbreak” level,” Lacuna stated.
“Ligtas sa ngayon ang buong lungsod sa panganib ng dengue, ngunit hindi tayo nagpapaka-kampante. Bagkus, daragdagan pa nga natin ang mga supply ng gamot at vitamins sa mga health centers at super health centers, upang mapalakas ang resistensya ng mga residente,” the lady mayor added.
She has also directed the health center personnel, barangay health workers, nutrition scholars and sanitation specialists to include in the search-and-destroy efforts against mosquitoes all tires atop the roofs of some houses and which were turned into mini gardens.
“Diyan kasi naiipon ang mga tubig ulan at notoryus na pinangingitlugan ang mga dengue-carrying mosquitoes,” she said.
