“Based on their reply, I can say that they were not remiss in their anti-dengue campaign,” Lacson said, adding that some localities’ preparation has been in place as early as January.
He said that the local government units (LGU) in the province have set aside funds for their anti-dengue campaign, although there are localities with a meager budget and were given assistance by the provincial government.
Lacson added that he told the local health officials to prepare for the possible further increase of dengue cases, especially that the province will experience heavier downpour as September nears.
“We hope to control the increase (but) it’s good to know that the LGUs are prepared (and) they invested in anti-dengue materials,” the governor noted.
After meeting the local health officers, Lacson is also set to meet the mayors to tell them that they should yearly focus on the drive against dengue and form a task force to arrest the increase of cases.
There is also a need to conduct clean-up and take additional measures, especially on the areas that need intervention while the mayors also need to talk to private landowners in their areas especially during fogging operations, he said.
As of July 9, 2022, dengue cases in Negros Occidental were already at 2,096 or about 823 percent higher than 2021 with only 227 cases, the Department of Health in Western Visayas said.
The province remained to have the highest number of dengue cases in the entire region, the line agency added.