Guv issues EO 34 containing

dengue outbreak in Bohol

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, Sept 4 (PIA)—With dengue affecting mostly 5-10 and 10-15 ages bracket, schools are now empowered to mobilize activities for the conduct of search and destroy mosquito breeding sites.

Data from the local health disease monitoring unit said dengue cases in Bohol are mostly in 5-10 and 10-15 age brackets: school children.

This as Governor Erico Aristotle Aumentado issued Executive Order No 34, series of 2024, declaring 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.

That same day too, 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 6 consecutive weeks, according to the governor.

In the Department of Health Department Memorandum No 2023-103, dated March 7, 2023, DOH Officer in Charge Dr. Maria Rosario Vergiere, in the reiteration of guidelines on the declaration of outbreaks for Local Government Units said that the provinces have mandates 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.

As to the PESU, Tagbilaran City has had 3 deaths, Getafe had 3 deaths, Inabanga had 2, Clarin, Dauis, President Carlos P Garcia, San Miguel, Alburquerque, Ubay and Anda each had one case for a sum of 14.

Moreover, the PESU data showed at least 17 towns in Bohol breaching 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 in 2024 soared to be the second highest count of cases noted in Bohol in the last 9 years.

It was in 2019, when Bohol had 7,387 dengue cases and 44 recorded deaths.

In fact, 2018 was the worst year in Bohol when for the 5,249 cases, 54 died of dengue.

With the data from the PESU, the PDTF immediately 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 the 150 cases per week.

This then continued its up-climb until morbidity week 33, when Bohol recorded nearly 700 cases for the week.

This week however, showed promising signs, points out 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 for the search and destroy mosquito breeding places, and activated the Aksyon Barangay KOntra Dengue, resulting in the noted start of the downtrends 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, Dr. Lopez added.

The declaration also allows LGUS to mobilize households, schools and communities in the conduct of search and destroy mosquito breeding areas, allow 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 con dengue as well as the setting up of operations centers to monitor, assess and recommend immediate strategic action and policy on the dengue situation. (PIABohol)

DENGUE TASK FORCE MEETING. Gov Erico Aristotle Aumentado presides over the Provincial Anti Dengue Task Force meeting to look into the dengue situation in Bohol and possibly recommend possible courses of action. Bohol has 14 deaths by dengue, on its 34th morbidity week, and over 5,000 dengue affected patients. (PIABohol)