Dengue Alert
Health Secretary Enrique T. Ona said Friday that they expect the number of dengue cases to go up in three months, as the rainy season approaches.
Ona called on health workers to help achieve this year’s target of less than 100,000 dengue cases for 2012. “If we do nothing, we will be again over our heads come July and August when our public hospitals are being filled to the brim with Dengue patients and Dengue outbreaks are being reported left and right. We do not want that to happen this year. More than outdoing the number of cases in 2011, our target is less than 100,000 cases for 2012. It seems a tall order for all of us but I believe that if we work together, this can be achieved.”
At the Dengue Summit in Pasay City, the Department of Health said that it has recorded 16,511 dengue cases from January 1 to March 31 so far this year. The figure is 28.96 percent lower as compared to the same period last year with 23,241 cases.
“We are probably 2 years away a from a Dengue vaccine which will drastically reduce the number of Dengue cases in the country. We know this because we are coordinating with the researchers and manufacturers in the development of these vaccines. Given this limitation, the only way we can achieve our target is if all stakeholders – Local Governments up to the Barangay level, the National Government, non-governmental organizations, most especially the private sector – should intensify their collaboration and cooperation to implement a holistic and comprehensive Dengue Control action plan,” the health chief said.
By JENNY F. MANONGDO
mb.com.ph
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