TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol (PIA)—With dengue affecting mostly the 5-10 and 10-15 ages bracket, schools here are now empowered to mobilize activities for the conduct of search and destroy mosquito breeding sites.
Data from the local health disease monitoring unit show that dengue cases in Bohol are mostly in 5-10 and 10-15 age brackets of school children.
Governor Erico Aristotle Aumentado has issued Executive Order No. 34, series of 2024, declaring a dengue outbreak in the province of Bohol, on the same day the Provincial Anti-Dengue Task Force (PDTF) convened and recommended for the governor to declare the outbreak.
The Provincial Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit of the Provincial Health Office (PESU-PHO) showed that Bohol has recorded 5,839 dengue cases since January, and has recorded 14 deaths by the same viral disease.
This has surpassed the dengue epidemic threshold for the last six consecutive weeks, according to the governor.
In the Department of Health (DOH) Department Memorandum No. 2023-103, dated March 7, 2023, DOH Officer in Charge Dr. Maria Rosario Vergiere reiterated the guidelines on the declaration of outbreaks for local government units, saying that the provinces are mandated to declare outbreaks after considering the necessary data like case trends of the LGU in the last 5 years, inclusive of hospitalization, disease severity and mortality trends.
The capacity to declare would also have to be based on results of epidemiological laboratory investigation of cases and the capacity of the local health care system and public health interventions in response to the disease.
PESU records show that Tagbilaran City logged 3 deaths; Getafe, 3, Inabanga, 2; and Clarin, Dauis, President Carlos P Garcia, San Miguel, Alburquerque, Ubay and Anda with one each for a total of 14.
The PESU data also showed at least 17 towns in Bohol breached their dengue epidemic thresholds in the last 4-6 consecutive weeks.
These include Anda, Alicia, Baclayon, Balilihan, Candijay, Dauis, Garcia Hernandez, Getafe, Inabanga, Mabini, Maribojoc, San Isidro, Sikatuna, Tagbilaran City, Talibon, Trinidad, and Tubigon.
Dengue cases in 2024 soared to be the 2nd highest count of cases recorded in Bohol in the last nine years.
In 2019, Bohol recorded 7,387 dengue cases and 44 deaths, while in 2018, there were 5,249 cases and 54 deaths recorded.
With the data from the PESU, the PDTF recommended for the governor to declare an outbreak.
These have influenced Bohol’s faring in the last five-year dengue epidemic threshold, which shows that as early as the 27th morbidity week or mid-July, Bohol’s dengue cases started to straddle the threshold, nearing 150 cases per week.
This then continued its increasing trend until morbidity week 33, when Bohol recorded nearly 700 cases for the week.
This week, however, showed promising signs, said provincial health officer Dr. Cesar Tomas Lopez during the meeting.
After an alert which the governor sounded in the second week of August, Boholanos mobilized search and destroy activities on mosquito breeding places, and activated the ‘Aksyon Barangay Kontra Dengue,’ resulting in the noted start of the downtrend in affectation.
“There are signs that the cases are already going down, but declaring the outbreak would officially empower LGUs to strictly implement local legislation on the implementation of the 4S strategy, reactivation of the ABKD, which would help sustain our efforts,” Lopez said.
The declaration also allows LGUs to mobilize households, schools, and communities in the conduct of search and destroy mosquito breeding areas and allows RHUs to establish dengue fast lanes and establish proper patient referral protocols.
The declaration also allows LGUs to allocate funds for the procurement of essential supplies and services needed for the effective prevention and control of dengue, expand and start a coordinated massive information education and communication strategies on dengue as well as the setting up of operations centers to monitor, assess, and recommend immediate strategic action and policy on the dengue situation. (RAHC/PIA Bohol)
