The City of Dumaguete’s anti-dengue campaign has been put on higher gear with a massive bloodletting campaign last Friday.
Mayor Manuel Sagarbarria said the bloodletting activity was made following an increase in demand for blood transfusions, as the number of dengue cases almost equaled last year’s level.
In the parlance of the Department of Health, a disease is declared an epidemic once it breaches last year’s level.
Along with the move to increase the blood supply, Sagarbarria said, is the continuous de-clogging of city canals. “There are 22 people who have been roaming around Dumaguete since July 1 to clean and de-clog our drainage canals on a daily basis,” Sagarbarria said.
This move serves several purposes. The mayor explained that the de-clogging of canals will help lessen the number of breeding places of mosquitos by ensuring that the water in the canals flow freely. This is also an activity that will help prevent flooding in Dumaguete.
Sagarbarria said the flood which hit Dumaguete on February 7 last year was the worst flood to ever hit the City and we should take steps to ensure that it does not happen again.