If you have not had a personal encounter with the dreaded dengue mosquito, a visit to any hospital in Dumaguete would be more than enough to convince you of the seriousness of the problem this virus is causing in Negros Oriental.
As of September 1, the number of dengue cases in Negros Oriental has reached 1,283 and is still rising. Five have already died, according to the Provincial Health Office. Of that number, Dumaguete has had 518 cases with three deaths, two of which were reported in August alone.
Bayawan City ranked 2nd in the list with 152 cases, followed by Siaton, 73; Tanjay City, 61; Bais City, 55; Sibulan, 53; Basay, 42; Dauin, 41; Sta. Catalina, 39; and Valencia, 32.
Every now and then, appeals for blood donations are heard over the radio, read on Facebook and through text messages.
Hopefully, all these statistics are getting the public worried enough to be moved into doing something about this.
All of us can do something to help control the spread of the dengue-carrying mosquito.
In case you’re curious, burning of organic wastes does little to stop the dengue-carrying mosquito and only succeeds in giving people respiratory problems. As this editorial is written, a Dumaguete resident sent a text message to say that she is moving to the United States for medical care due to allergies from having inhaled a lot of smoke from organic waste.
The best way to avoid dengue is to take precautionary measures such as cleaning your surroundings and to mosquito-proof your home by installing screens on your doors and windows. We can all help in searching for mosquito breeding grounds–stagnant water in bottles, cups, flower vases and even on leaves of plants–and draining them of water. Any suspected case of Dengue should immediately be brought to the attention of medical professionals.
