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CEBU CITY, Philippines – About 331 people died of dengue in Cebu City from January to June this year, Cebu City health officials confirmed over the weekend.
According to the Cebu City Health Department's Epidemiology Statistics and Surveillance Unit, they recorded 726 dengue cases for the first six months of this year.
This marked a 157 percent increase from last year’s figures in which Cebu City recorded 282 dengue cases and three deaths for the same period.
Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña expressed disappointment over the findings, saying barangay (village) officials have not done enough to combat the dengue problem in their localities.
“How can you be satisfied when people are dying,” Osmeña said.
The mayor voiced his assessment just as barangay officials have yet to submit their action plans on the dengue problem.
The same data also showed that the number of dengue cases last month shot up to 112 from 67 dengue cases in May.
Osmeña blamed the lack of public awareness on the dengue problem as the cause behind the rise in dengue cases.
The Cebu city mayor said a commercial detailing the threat of dengue will air soon on local TV as part of the city government’s anti-dengue campaign.
“I am coming out with a TV commercial that will make people more aware of how dangerous dengue is,” Osmeña said.
He said he wants barangay officials to identify breeding grounds for dengue-carrying mosquitoes so warning signs can be set up there.
