By: ROEL T. AMAZONA
STA. FE, Leyte –The municipal government here is facing a serious problem on dengue fever with more than 100 people, mostly children, have been affected by the mosquito-causing ailment.
As part of their campaign to contain further spread of dengue fever, the municipal health office, aside from a heightened information campaign, has proposed for the procurement of a misting machine that aims to kill breeding places of the mosquitoes causing the disease.
The municipal health officer, Dr. Rowena De Veyra, said that based on their record, there are about 120 people, and 90 percent of them were children, who were affected by dengue fever since May 15 until this week.
Fifteen out of its 20 barangays have confirmed dengue fever cases.
The villages of San Juan, San Roque and Milagrosa were the first to report dengue problem on their areas.
Based on the record of the Municipal Health Office, San Juan has the most number of dengue cases with 39 cases followed by Milagrosa with 25 and San Roque with 12 cases.
Dr. De Veyra said that while there is an upsurge of dengue fever in their town, they have yet to have any reported death due to the ailment.
“That’s our consolation. The parents themselves bring their children to our office for examination of their children who are experiencing some fever,” she said, citing one of the manifestations of dengue fever.
The town council, presided by Vice Mayor Ismael Lantajo, conducted a special session on Thursday (July 11) has agreed to the suggestion of De Veyra to procure misting machine.
They also defer earlier plan to place the town under a state of calamity just for it to use part of its calamity fund in procuring the misting machine.
“During the deliberation, the municipal council members learned that there is no longer need to declare a state of calamity just for the municipal government can procure the misting machine,” Lantajo said.
Instead of declaring a state of calamity, the municipal council suggested for the local disaster risk reduction management council (LDRRMC) to convene for it to recommend to Mayor Amparo Montesa to approve for the release of fund needed to procure a misting machine.
“The LDRRMC will have to convene and will make a resolution authorizing the mayor to use the emergency fund to procure a misting machine, then they will forward it to the council so that we can authorize the mayor,” Lantajo said.
A misting machine is use as preventive measure in the fight against mosquito-borne dengue disease just like the fogging machine which is used to kill, or ‘knock-down’, any adult dengue mosquitoes that may be carrying the dengue virus.
Although the fogging machine is more effective, it is more costly than a misting machine, Dr.de Veyra said.
The Department of Health has reported that since the start of the year until last week, there were 4,550 dengue fever cases across the region with 19 deaths.
Last year of the same period, there were only 3,913 dengue fever cases in the region.
John Paul Roca,DOH-8 regional information officer, said that while the number of dengue fever cases in the region for the first seven months of the year is higher compare to last year of similar period, they are not moving to declare a state of calamity in the region due to dengue.
“We believe that our local government units are still in the position to contain the menace of dengue fever in their respective areas,” Roca said.
