Central Luzon under strict dengue monitoring

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO―A team from the Department of Health is in Central Luzon to monitor the rising number of dengue cases in barangays considered as dengue hotspots.

“On a daily basis, we send out four teams to look for cases, monitor activities of barangays and provide resources including medicines and mosquito nets to prevent dengue outbreak in the region,” DOH Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (RESU) chief Dr. Jessie Fantone said.

The team monitors barangays that have at least 10 cases or considered as dengue hotspots and look into hospitals to make sure they have fast lanes for such cases.

The RESU chief said the dengue mortality review will now be conducted on a quarterly basis to aid the DOH in creating policies and improving health delivery services.

“This process allows us to check on the capability of hospitals in managing and treating the disease. This will also help us identify hospitals that need augmentation in terms of resources, as well as doctors who need additional training,” Fantone said.

Some 50 barangays in six towns in Central Luzon are considered dengue hotspots after an increase in cases by 1,000 percent in recent weeks: Dingalan in Aurora, Mariveles in Bataan, Subic in Zambales, Cabanatuan City, Gabaldon in Nueva Ecija and Paniqui in Tarlac.

Central Luzon as a whole is not considered a dengue hotspot yet, Fantone said, since the number of cases rose by 10 percent only. Hotspots are at barangay-level only.

DOH Secretary Franciso Duque declared a national dengue outbreak in July to allow local government units to utilize funds for the outbreak.