ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews/6 June) – The City Health Office here has renewed call to intensify “search and destroy” of breeding places of dengue carrier mosquitoes in this city.
Dr. Rodelin Agbulos, city health officer, made the call as he declared that this city remains to be in the dengue outbreak level since the cases of the hemorrhagic fever have already soared to more than 1,000.
He said efforts have to be doubled, even tripled, in order to bring down the number of dengue cases, citing they cannot yet lift the declaration of dengue outbreak.
His declaration came as the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) has started the distribution of Ovicidal/Larvicidal (OL) traps in the different schools aimed to help prevent the spread of dengue.
The total number of dengue cases soared to 1,053 with 14 fatalities as of June 2, according to Agbulos.
He said search and destroy teams from his office are sent daily to the different areas of this city to continue with the advocacy on the control and prevention of dengue fever.
He said that government physicians assigned in the different health sub-districts are also advised to strictly monitor the implementation of anti-dengue efforts in their areas on a daily basis.
DOST Regional Director Brenda Nazareth-Manzano said that a total of 2,030 OL traps will be distributed and that priority will be given to the schools in the barangays where there are high cases of dengue.
Agbulos disclosed that there are 10 barangays in this city that have recorded high incidence of dengue.
Manzano said they will provide two OL traps in each of the classrooms wherein one will be placed inside and the other one outside.
The OL trap is the invention of DOST’s Industrial Technology Development Institute (ITDI). It helps trap the eggs and larvae that redound to the reduction of the population of mosquitoes, especially the carrier of dengue virus.
An orientation on the proper use of the OL traps will be conducted first before the distribution to ensure its proper usage, Manzano said.
She said the OL trap is easy to use since the user only needs to fill the cup with water, pour in a sachet of organic pellet and place the stick, which is made of fiberboard, into the solution with the rough surface facing up.
The next step, she said, is to place the cup inside or outside the house in a low-lying area and let it stand for up to six to seven days.
After seven days, gently brush off into the solution the mosquito eggs stuck on the stick and then dispose all the liquid content of the cup on dry ground and repeat the same procedure, she said.
The scent of the organic pellets solution invites female mosquitoes to the OL trap where they lay eggs on the fiberboard stick and on the solution.
The eggs and the wrigglers die once exposed to the solution, thus preventing the next generation of mosquitoes from reaching adulthood, Manzano said. (MindaNews)