By Kit BagaipoWriter, The Bohol ChronicleHospital wards here in Tagbilaran City are filled with patients downed with the deadly dengue fever as residents seek for urgent remedy.
The alarming surge of dengue fever here has already claimed the lives of three children since January this year.
The city has the highest number of reported cases of dengue in the entire province with 180 hospitalized, almost half of the total 371 provincewide.
Three out of the four fatalities come from the city.
Dengue victims drastically doubled since last month.
Figures from the Provincial Health Office (PHO) showed that last month, there were 56 admitted in hospitals with one fatality.
Since July 1 up to yesterday (July 7, 2007), there were already 25 victims of the dengue carrying aedes aegypti mosquitoes.
The City Health Office (CHO) has been conducting massive information campaigns in all 15 barangays on how to curb the breeding of dengue carrying mosquitoes.
Distribution of the powder chemical abate in all barangays is ongoing to eliminate breeding grounds of mosquitoes especially found in stagnant water.
Pesticides specialist Engr. Forting Lim, however, told the Chronicle that the best way to kill the dengue carrying aedes mosquito is through fogging operations.
He explained that, although killing mosquito larvae in stagnant waters would help, hatched mosquitoes would continue to survive and bite for about a month, the lifespan of mosquitoes.
Dr. Norlito Gicana of the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority (FPA) in Manila told the Chronicle during a long-distance interview that fogging operation is safe as long as the chemicals used are approved by the FPA and the persons conducting the fogging are properly trained.
He said that the fogging procedure should be on an ultra low volume level while he assured that the approved chemicals are environmentally friendly.
Director Gicana suggested that the local FPA officer Arnulfo Arausa should discuss matters withteh local health authorities in order to properly coordinate the fogging operations here.
Informed of the alarming cases of dengue victims in the city, the Chronicle arranged a meeting between City Mayor Dan Lim and the local FPA official at the mayor's office at 8 am today to discuss the safety nets on how dengue fever can be controlled through fogging operations, aside from the existing "damage control" done by city health authorities.
Dengue has claimed the lives of Christine Fostanes, 5 years old of Airport Road; Faith Cimafranca, 6 years old of barangay Mansasa; and the latest victim Franz Coto, 6 years old of Butalid Street.
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