THE Cebu City Health Department (CHD) recorded fewer dengue cases since January this year compared to the same period in 2020.
The CHD logged 35 dengue cases: 16 in January, two in February, 10 in March, five in April and two so far this month. The CHD also recorded two deaths. Last year, it logged 554 dengue cases.
Dr. Jeffrey Ibones, CHD officer-in-charge, said the month of May is yet to end so there is a possibility there will be additional cases.
In 2020, the CHD recorded 300 cases in January, 211 in February, 24 in March, 10 in April and nine in May.
The CHD recorded a total of 1,081 dengue cases in 2020 with 14 mortalities. In 2019, the number of cases in the city reached 2,930.
Ibones said one factor that contributed to the decline in the number of dengue cases is the coroanvirus pandemic, which prompted people to just stay inside their homes.
That gave them ample time to clean their houses, he said.
He said the absence of face-to-face classes might have also helped improve the dengue situation in the city.
He said most of the dengue patients are children.
Meanwhile, Ibones reminded the public to keep their surroundings clean and to make sure there is no stagnant water where mosquitoes can lay eggs.
“We should just make it a habit of keeping our houses clean. Let’s check the flower pots, (unused) wheels, used bottles or (opened) cans. If we have buckets, make sure that it is covered so mosquito larva cannot live in it,” he said. (JJL)