Press Release
September 5, 2010

MORE EFFECTIVE ANTI-DENGUE MEASURES NEEDED--ANGARA

As the number of dengue cases in the country continue to rise rapidly, Senator Edgardo J. Angara renews his call for more stringent anti-dengue measures by the government.

According to the Department of Health (DOH), a total of 290 cities and towns have been put under dengue alert, with Cebu being among the hardest hit areas with 1175 cases, with 11 deaths. The DOH also reported that all four strains of dengue have been detected, resulting in an 88.8 percent increase in dengue patients over the same period (January1 to August 21) last year.

"Because of the rainy season, we have prepared to some extent against the increase of dengue cases, but this year's outbreak is unexpected. This why the public must be well-informed about the risks, the dangers and the preventive measures to be taken against dengue. Our people should have a good understanding of this disease to be able to protect their families," said Angara, who authored the Philippine National Health Research System act which creates a network of health research & development (R&D) and ensures the public's access to the information they generate.

"To control this outbreak, our country needs more localized research to pinpoint the specific areas of concern such as the clustering of cases, the type of dengue present, and the circumstances that led to the outbreak. We must also establish a system of disseminating information, to ensure that this knowledge about dengue trickles down to every town and barangay," Angara stressed.

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