THERE IS no let-up in the campaign against dengue in Negros Occidental even as the cases continue to decrease every week, records of the Provincial Health Office (PHO) showed.
“Based on our total dengue cases, it is still higher compared to last year’s. But if we look at the weekly trend, it is going down. If it is increasing, we could have already reached 4,000 cases. But right now, our weekly incidence is decreasing,” Dr. Ernell Tumimbang, provincial health officer, said.
A PHO report showed dengue cases in the province have gone down to the alert threshold from the epidemic level.
From January 1 to September 10 this year, a total of 3,921 dengue cases were reported while only 1,392 cases were recorded in the same period last year, showing an increase of 2,529 cases or 182 percent.
The dengue death toll this year is 18 compared to last year’s three for the same period.
Based on the PHO weekly report, dengue cases have dropped in the past weeks.
Last week, which is Week 36, the number of cases totaled 134 compared to the previous week’s 221.
Majority of the cases were reported in Silay City with 401 followed by Talisay City, 322; Bago City, 313; Himamaylan City, 305; Cauayan, 283; Kabankalan City, 274; Isabela, 217; La Carlota City, 172; San Carlos City, 157; and Hinoba-an, 119.
Tumimbang said the interventions conducted by the provincial government were the reason why the dengue cases are decreasing.
“Our intervention is a big help,” he added.
However, Tumimbang said they will continue to conduct emergency fogging and larvicide treatment in localities with high dengue incidence to ensure that dengue cases will not surge because “it is still a rainy season.”
"We will continue it until such time we are confident that there will be no increase in the weekly reporting,” he added.