Evangelista calls health summit as dengue, measles, dog bites cases rise

KIDAPAWAN CITY
(Oct. 16) – Alarmed by the rising cases of measles, dengue and dog bites,
Kidapawan City Mayor Joseph Evangelista called for a health summit aimed at
finding measures that could stop rising cases of deadly diseases which he said
are preventable.

Since January to
date, the Kidapawan City health office recorded 236 dengue cases, an alarming
situation because in 2013, not a single dengue case was reported by health
authorities.

Cases of
dengue, Evangelista said, have gone down 50 percent as compared to previous years
but the figure is still alarming. During the summit Wednesday, Evangelista said
in 2010, the city had recorded 3,349 while in 2011 it posted 3,282 cases. In
2012, the city health recorded 2,836 dengue cases while last year, 3,257 cases
were reported.

From January
to date, the Kidapawan health office recorded 1,629 dengue cases.

Also worried
Evangelista was the cases of dog bites which, as of October, about 916 cases of
dog bite were reported by the city health office and the Kidapawan City
Veterinary office.

In 2013, the
city government reported 2,500 household have no toilets making residents to practice
shot boom” or discharging anywhere, anytime.

This also alarmed
Evangelista because indiscriminate discharges of human wastes could trigger
diseases among residents.

From January
to date, nine neo-natal deaths were reported by the city health office, three
of which were due to sepsis, premature birth and congenital disease.

Following the summit,
health authorities here laid down programs and measures that would, at least
reduced, highly preventable diseases in the city.