Pasig City: Working towards a ‘dengue-free sentropolis’
Pasig City does not wait for the rainy season to start to effect its anti-dengue campaign. Through continuing vigilance and innovation in the field of public health, from January to June 2012, Pasig has been able to decrease the number of reported dengue cases by 22 percent compared to last year’s data. In Barangay Pinagbuhatan alone, contrary to a recent news report, the number of dengue cases has decreased by 75 percent. Largely contributing to these are the initiatives of the city government led by Mayor Bobby Eu- sebio on dengue prevention and control, a multi-pronged effort aimed at vector control, environmental management, health education, intensified surveillance and active community participation.
Health education has been going on through a series of lectures in different health centers, schools and barangay assemblies and in the daily lectures of the Kalusugan Patrol, a group of nurse-educators found only in Pasig.
The city has conducted daily surveillance of all dengue cases through the City Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit in coordination with the reporting sentinel hospitals and health reporting units and the Pasig Health Aides, community health workers tasked with promoting primary health care. Community participation has been achieved through the barangay and school dengue task forces which have been in place for years now.
Pasig City is among local government units with an established Dengue Express lane, located at the Pasig City General Hospital. It has also given free complete blood count with platelet at its clinical laboratory in the City Health Office for suspected dengue patients. The problem of blood product scarcity has been solved through the creation of the city’s blood collection team, Dugong Pasig, which conducts twice-weekly bloodletting activities in its 30 barangays.
Pasig City continuous to innovate and lead in the efforts towards a dengue-free society, a sentropolis where economic progress is matched by wellness and health equity.