The number of dengue cases and deaths in Bohol declined significantly in the first five months of the year.

Provincial Health Office (PHO) officer-in-charge Dr. Yul Lopez on Wednesday announced that the tally for dengue infections in the province plummeted by 96.17 percent from 2,290 cases in January 1 to May 31, 2020 to 88 cases in the same period this year.

According to Lopez, the number of dengue fatalities also dropped to just one this year from 10 in 2020.

The top localities with the most number of cases were Tagbilaran City with nine; Clarin, six; and Dauis, five.

Lopez attributed the sharp decrease in cases to the province’s efforts to impose the establishment of Dengue Task Forces and Barangay Dengue Brigades at the purok level.

“Ang gobernador [Art Yap] aktibo g’yud na mi monitor, mi order kanato down to our purok level kining paghimo og pagpangampanya batok sa pagdaghan sa mga lamok. Martud pa niya na ‘kung walang lamok, walang dengue,’ so nalipay kita na gisunod kini sa matag barangay,” he said.

Lopez thanked barangay officials, mayors, municipal health officers and dengue task force members for continuing efforts in conducting cleanup drives and information campaigns.

The health official however urged the public to continue to be vigilant against the mosquito-borne disease particularly as the rainy season starts.

Aedes aegypti mosquito which transmits the dengue virus breeds in stagnant pools of water and thrives in densely populated tropical climates.

“Tropical storm, tropical depression mga instances na kusog ang uwan ug pagbaha, naay mapundo na tubig so atong pahinumduman ang atong mga banay sa dili pagkalimot sa dengue campaign nato, sa paglimpyo sa palibot,” Lopez said. (A. Doydora)