10 barangays under dengue watch

City and barangay health workers will be on the lookout for possible dengue victims in the said areas

Ten barangays in Quezon City are being strictly monitored for dengue fever due to the high number of reported cases in the past few weeks.

The barangays under the dengue watch are Fairview, Payatas, Commonwealth, Holy Spirit, Batasan, Pasong Tamo, Bagong Silangan, Bagbag, Tandang Sora and Tatalon.

Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte has tasked the QC Health department and barangay health workers in the area to conduct anti-dengue campaigns.

“The QC Health department and barangay health workers are working hand-in-hand in daily search and destroy and spraying campaigns in these areas,” Belmonte said.

She has also issued a memorandum mandating public schools to encourage students to wear longsleeved shirts and long pants.

“This is one of the city’s immediate actions as we learned that the age group most hit by dengue is children 1 to 10 years old,” she stressed.

As of last count, the number of dengue cases in Quezon City totaled 3,502, with 29 deaths from January to 10 August 2019. This is still 15 percent lower compared to the numbers recorded for the same period last year.

The mayor assured that the local government is intensifying its awareness campaign, clean-up drives and spraying as part of measures to combat dengue.

At the same time, she called on residents to cooperate with the local government’s efforts, especially spraying, which has been long proven to be effective, to prevent an impending outbreak.

“We ask all residents to cooperate in this campaign of the local government against dengue. It has reached me that some have refused spraying around their houses and their streets,” Belmonte said.

The mayor said the city’s health workers are employing active fever surveillance and the use of NS1 rapid diagnostic tests to diagnose dengue early.

“Once dengue is detected, our health workers immediately address it to avoid further complications,” she added.

“We want to stress that the best way to address dengue is by starting at home,” she emphasized, encouraging families to always keep their surroundings clean and to fully support the local government’s intensified campaign.