By Juancho Gallarde/Philippine News Agency
DUMAGUETE CITY — The Department of Health (DOH) and Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO) here have declared a dengue outbreak in four barangays in the province of Negros Oriental.
These are the villages of Inapoy and Tara in the municipality of Mabinay and Bal-os and Poblacion in the municipality of Basay, both situated in the boundaries with Negros Occidental.
These barangays had zero cases of dengue in the past three to five years, but in the last few weeks, cases went up to alarming levels, prompting the declaration of a dengue outbreak.
Assistant provincial health officer Dr. Liland Estacion, in a press conference at the Capitol building here on Wednesday, confirmed that Barangay Bal-os now has 25 cases; Poblacion — 14; Inapoy — 31; and Tara — 28 cases.
Five deaths have so far been reported — two in Basay, and one each in Dumaguete, Sibulan, and Manjuyod.
Interventions are underway to include entomologic surveys in said barangays, massive clean-up drives, assemblies, mosquito net impregnation activities, distribution of treated screens to schools, house to house visitation of health workers from the barangays, from the rural health units and from the integrated provincial health office.
Estacion said the campaign against dengue is a team approach that starts with the family, the community, and the entire populace.
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