WARNING. Authorities continue to enjoin the public to clean their surroundings to destroy mosquito breeding sites as dengue fever cases in the Cordillera continues to rise. In Benguet province, Governor Melchor Diclas has ordered schools to suspend the mandatory wearing of school uniforms to allow the learners to wear long sleeve shirts and long pants to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes. (Photo of Baguio City’s information campaign poster against dengue fever)
BAGUIO CITY – Benguet Governor Melchor Diclas has ordered all public and private schools in the province to suspend the mandatory wearing of school uniforms to allow learners to wear long pants and long sleeve shirts as a protection against mosquito bites.
This, as the province records an increasing cases of dengue.
“We encouraged the use of long sleeves and pants when going to schools to avoid mosquito bites,” Diclas told the Philippine News Agency on Wednesday.
Diclas, a medical doctor by profession, said he has been repeatedly advising the public to regularly clean their surroundings and destroy mosquito breeding sites.
Benguet recorded a 128.63 percent increase in cases from Jan. 1 to July 31, 2024 to 3,745 cases from 1,638 cases during the same period last year.
There were five deaths recorded in the province in the last six months of this year, up from one death in 2023.
Citing a report from the provincial health office, Diclas said the most affected age group are those aged five to 20.
On Aug. 1, the Cordillera Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (CDRRMC) placed the whole region under a heightened alert due to the rising dengue cases in the provinces of Apayao, Baguio, Benguet, Kalinga, and Mountain Province.
The CDRRM enjoined all local government units to take proactive measures against the disease which is bringing a lot of patients to medical facilities. (PNA)
