BAGUIO CITY – During the Lucban District anti-dengue health fair with the theme “Search and Seek”, last June 15, city health officer, Dr. Rowena Galpo disclosed that there are only 64 dengue cases in Baguio for the period January to June 10.
“This is an eight-fold decrease or 875.34 percent decrease compared to the same period last year with 703 dengue cases,” Galpo said.
Meanwhile, so as to decrease breeding sites of dengue-carrying mosquitoes, the city government of Baguio through the Health Services Office launched an anti-dengue program dubbed “Juan Tireless Day” during the said fair.
This aims to mobilize the community by bringing old tires in identified staging area before collection, empower local leaders and barangay officials by taking the lead in mobilizing the community in line with the Aksyon Barangay Kontra Dengue (ABKD) of the Department of Health-Department of Interior and Local Government department memorandum, and to inform the public of the anti-dengue program through house to house enlisting and inventorying of tires.
Dr. Galpo said that a certain company will buy the good tires at a price of P50 to P100 per tire depending on its condition while the bad tires will be taken for free.
The proceeds to be generated from the sale of the said tires will be utilized by the district health and sanitation team in their environment and sanitation programs on anti-dengue campaign.
Accordingly, in the Lucban district alone, the district health and sanitation teams were able to collect 236 tires.
The dengue is not a seasonal disease anymore, it is already an all year-round sickness, thus, Dr. Galpo reminded and urged the residents do their part to fight it. **Jho Arranz
