THE Davao City Health Office (CHO) is handing out larvicides for residents to place in possible stagnant areas during rainy season to prevent the increase of dengue cases in the city.
CHO chief Josephine Villafuerte said teams from the Tropical Diseases and Management Unit, headed by Beth Banzon, are going around in communities to distribute larvicides.
Based on the most recent data provided by the CHO on January 6, an increase of 300 dengue cases was observed in 2016 compared to 2015 and there has been an increase of 21 recorded deaths last year.
In 2016, CHO recorded a total of 3,972 cases with 29 deaths.
Villafuerte said aside from handing out larvicides, the unit coordination of the villages are conducting bednet impregnation, fogging, information dissemination, and surveillance and destruction of breeding sites.
She advised residents to make sure there will be no small pockets of water in their households.
The CHO chief said each household must be aware of their surroundings as well as the situation in their neighborhood.
Villafuerte said the CHO and the village officials are always doing their part in warning residents about the dangers of dengue, and how it can be prevented through proper cleanliness.
Residents, according to her, can avail rapid testing kits in nearest district health centers.