THE Department of Health (DOH) is renewing its call for the public to wage a war against mosquitoes now that the country has seen its sixth case of the Zika virus in Iloilo City.
In a media briefing on late Monday, DOH Spokesman Dr. Eric Tayag called on the public to practice being “good citizens” amid the Zika threat by avoiding mosquito bites.
“Mosquito precautions should be observed by travelers as well as residents. By avoiding mosquito bites, we protect ourselves against Zika, and, if we have it, we also prevent its spread,” said Tayag.
He also urged communities to make sure that all mosquito-breeding sites are destroyed immediately.
“The key to Zika prevention is heightened vigilance and stronger community efforts of every households,” said Tayag.
Other safety precautions versus mosquito bites include use of insect repellents, wearing of clothing that prevents skin exposure to mosquito bites, and use of mosquito bed nets.
However, the health official did admit that they will not be surprised if they still find more cases of Zika virus in the country.
“We expect additional cases of Zika after we intensified our surveillance efforts,” said Tayag.
He noted how they have even sent a team to IloIlo to conduct an evaluation and to see if there are other similar cases, especially in the household of the latest Zika patient.
“We will look for more cases, if there are cases that we missed...We want to make sure we do not miss any case,” said Tayag.
On Monday, the DOH reported the sixth case of Zika virus in the country involving a Filipina from Iloilo City.
The DOH said it is treating the case as a local transmission since the patient had no recent travel history overseas. (HDT/Sunnex)