All the public could now is to continue observing the 4-o’clock habit to prevent the spread of dengue virus after the court issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) against its implementation.

Provincial health officer, Dr. Reymoses Cabagnot, explained that the DOH had already purchased dengue vaccines earlier, and had implemented it in pilot areas in Luzon, but was stopped after reports came out that a child died following administration of the vaccine.

It was, however, not concluded yet if it was the vaccine that caused the child’s death.

For the meantime, Cabagnot advised the public to continue with the preventive measures such as the 4 o’clock habit or the cleaning of surroundings, and the 4S method suggested by the DOH.

The 4S stands for Search and Destroy (breeding grounds of mosquitoes); Self-Protection measures such use of insect repellants or mosquito nets or wearing of long sleeves to protect skin from mosquito bites; Seek early medication; and Say “No” to indiscriminate fogging.

In March this year, Bohol pediatricians had arranged the first market of the dengue vaccine called Dengvaxia here.

This came after the DOH had incorporated dengue vaccination using Dengvaxia, a dengue vaccine manufactured by France-based Sanofi Pasteur, in the National Immunization Program (NIP).

The DOH initially targeted Regions 3, 4A and the NCR that posted the most number of dengue cases in the country in the schedule set in April, May and June.

Outside the areas that the national government’s NIP covered, pediatricians offered the vaccines at their clinics.

However, its dengue vaccination has temporarily been stalled by the TRO.

Doctors, however explained that the Dengvaxia vaccine may not give 100-percent protection to the persons vaccinated and that vaccination is not a substitute to infection from mosquito bites, therefore, households should continue with the precautionary measures of eliminating the breeding sites of mosquitoes.

DENGUE DEATH TOLL: 8

Dengue death toll already climbed to eight with the cases rising to around a thousand up to the middle of August.

The Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (RESU) of the Department of Health (DOH)-7 attributed the continued rise of dengue cases to climate change.

The RESU recorded an increase by 29.45 percent in this year’s dengue cases compared to the same period last year.

From January to July this year, within the first 226 days of 2016, the RESU already recorded, 1,156 cases of dengue in entire Bohol.

Eight of the dengue patients died from January up to the last monitoring day this month.

In last year’s statistics, dengue cases in Bohol reached 893 where five of the patients died in the same period.

Bien Unido topped this time in the record with four dengue deaths.

One death from dengue had been recorded in each of Inabanga, Ubay, Duero and Tagbilaran City areas.

In the number of cases, Tagbilaran topped the record with 132; followed by Tubigon with 119 cases; then Ubay with 92 cases; Talibon, 87; Loon, 65; Carmen, 60; Dauis, 52; Valencia, 50; Bien Unido, 42; and Inabanga, 36.

Sagbayan, this time, is already out of the top 10 areas in terms of number of dengue cases.

Last year, Sagbayan topped the record with 142 cases with one death.

Tagbilaran City ranked 2^nd last year with 110 cases; followed Carmen and Jagna with 46 cases each; then Inabanga with 38; Calape, 36; Dauis, 28, with  one death; Garcia Hernandez, 28, Danao, 26; and Guindulman, 25.

In this year’s monitoring, the RESU noted that most of the dengue patients were in the age brackets of 1-5 years old and 11-15 years old.

Fritzie Olaguer, Provincial Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit coordinator of the Provincial Health Office, noted that the dengue cases in Bien Unido can be attributed to the practice of storing water in the light of the drought and decreased rainfall.

Alarmed of the continued rise of dengue cases, the PHO called on the local government units to continue disseminating information on the prevention of the spread of dengue virus, and by conducting dengue brigades in the barangays.

Schools can also counterpart in the campaign by conducting dengue brigades in campuses.

The PHO also called on the hospitals to provide fast lanes for dengue patients to be able to attend to the appropriate medical intervention promptly.

Olaguer reiterated the call on the public to observe the 4S approach recommended by the DOH wherein the 4S stands for Search and Destroy (breeding grounds of mosquitoes); Self-Protection measures such use of insect repellants or mosquito nets or wearing of long sleeves to protect skin from mosquito bites; Seek early medication; and Say “No” to indiscriminate fogging.