The Cebu City Council has declared a state of calamity as dengue cases continued to rise this year in what the council describes as “one of the deadliest plagues affecting Cebu City residents.” With over 2,000 cases and close to two dozen deaths already recorded as of October 1 this year, city officials said that this was by far the highest number of cases monitored by city health officials in the last three years. “This year shows an alarming increase in the number of dengue cases as compared to the last three years. Dengue still poses a great threat to the populace as it is one of the deadliest plagues affecting the Cebu City residents,” read the resolution approved during the council’s regular session, yesterday. The resolution was authored by Councilors Mary Ann delos Santos and Dave Tumulak, the deputy mayors for health and police matters, respectively, in response to a recommendation by the City Health Department (CHD) to Mayor Tomas Osmeña. In a letter to the mayor, City Health Officer Dr. Alma Corpin and City Dengue Coordinator Dr. Raymon Ogan said that 23 people have died in the city due to dengue while a total of 2,089 cases were also recorded from January to October 1 this year. (A separate monitoring report by the Regional Epidemiological and Surveillance Unit (Resu-7) of the Department of Health (DOH), however, placed the number at 2,243 cases and 13 deaths as of October 8.) Read more: Cebu City declares ‘state of calamity’
