Davao’s dengue cases drop 53.7% in 2025
DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 29 January) — The total dengue cases in Davao City from January 1 to December 31, 2025, had dropped to 3,325, representing a 53.7% decrease from 7,175 cases recorded in 2024, according to an official of the City Health Office (CHO).
Melodina Babante, focal person for Tropical Disease Prevention and Control Unit of the CHO, told ISpeak Media Forum on Thursday that the office also reported a significant decline in dengue-related deaths, with 29 recorded in 2025 compared to 56 in 2024.
The official attributed the significant reduction in dengue cases and deaths to the intensified “search and destroy” campaign against mosquito breeding sites in the communities, along with the creation of Barangay Mosquito-Borne Disease Task Forces.
Based on the report of the City Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit released to the media on Thursday, significant reductions in dengue cases were also observed in barangays with high population density that had consistently ranked among the city’s dengue hotspots.
Of the city’s 182 barangays, Barangay Bucana 76-A, which consistently recorded the highest number of dengue cases, reported 148 in 2025, down from 336 in 2024. During the same period, Talomo Proper recorded 122 cases in 2025 compared to 301 in 2024; Buhangin Proper, 122 from 279; Catalunan Grande, 112 from 178; and Panacan, 79 from 156.
Babante said local government officials consistently implemented community-level interventions, including clean-up drives and the destruction of mosquito breeding sites in the households.
Paul Bermejo, head of the city government’s Ancillary Services Unit (ASU), urged Dabawenyos to clean up their surroundings and to immediately dispose wastes that could potentially serve as breeding sites of mosquitoes.
“Naa sa residents ang key para dili sila ma dengue (The key to avoiding dengue lies with the residents),” he said.
Babante said the CHO encouraged barangays to establish their own task forces to spearhead the campaign against mosquito-borne diseases. As of January 29, only 79 barangays have already formed their own task forces, while others were still in the process of establishing them.
She said the task force is composed of the punong barangay as chairperson, with health workers, barangay tanods or village watchmen, and Sanggunian Kabataan as members.
Under Section 8 of the Executive Order No. 25 issued on September 25, 2023, the functions of the task forces include, among others, preparing programs for the prevention and control of mosquito-borne diseases; conducting education and training programs on pest/mosquito management; preparing activities scheduled throughout the year to control the occurrence of mosquito-borne diseases; and conducting household surveillance of at least 100 households per week. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)
No comments:
Post a Comment