By Erwin M. Mascarinas, Correspondent
BUTUAN City – After 35 deaths and 1,939 dengue cases in Caraga last year, the Department of Health (DOH-13) here is hopeful it would be able to reduce this drastically this year through an intensified vaccination campaign.
Data from the Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit (Resu) show that from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2019, a total of 1,939 cases were reported from across the region. This figure constitutes 472 percent higher when compared to the same period in 2018, which had only 339 dengue cases.
From Caraga’s five provinces and six cities, the province of Agusan del Sur reported the most number of cases at 635, followed by Surigao City at 352, Surigao del Norte with 257, Surigao de Sur at 190, Butuan City with 181, and Agusan del Norte with 102.
The Dinagat follows at 70, Bayugan City with 48, Cabadbaran City with 36, Tandag City with 42, and 26 cases in Bislig City.
The data also show that the number of people killed has increased from only three in 2018 to 35 in 2019 with Agusan del Sur having the most number of deaths at 28, followed by Surigao City with three and two in Agusan del Norte. Both Butuan City and Surigao del Sur province have one reported mortality each.
Dr. Rodolfo Antonio Albornoz, director of DOH-13, said the performance of the routine immunization was way below the target and that it contributed to the spike in the number of cases.
“This year, we hope to advocate more into the routine immunization, the performance over the past three years has been below the target of 95 percent. We hope to change that this year, by intensifying our efforts, close monitoring, and surveillance of reported cases,” Albornoz said.
Albornoz added that the problem has not only been with the immunization of measles but with the entire DOH campaign that was undermined by false information months ahead of the increase of cases last year.
“We will not only intensify our efforts. We will also have to step up our actions such as with our deployment and proper allocation of field personnel to answer the needs, so we will be augmenting our health personnel such as our doctors to the barrio, nurses, and midwives,” he said.
In 2019, the augmentation and deployment of DOH personnel in the field were affected by the budget cuts and the delay in the approval in the budget.
“We are optimistic, even with the efforts we made in the last quarter of 2019, we were able to increase our coverage and target of those who had been given immunization in Caraga,” said Albornoz.
DOH would also implement a reorientation of health workers in the different areas throughout the region as several of those who were supposed to be promoting the immunization campaign were made to believe in the propaganda against immunization.
