Intensified Drive vs Chikungunya Outbreak in Mariveles

Intense fogging operations are conducted in Mariveles, Bataan to curb the Chikungunya outbreak that has affected 144 people. Provincial Sanitary Engineer Eugene Ramirez who contributed this photo said all of the 18 barangays of the town have been fogged. (Jose Mari M. Garcia/PIA 3)

MARIVELES, Bataan— Health officials have joined forces in search and destroy operations to curb the Chikungunya outbreak in Mariveles, which affected over a hundred people.

A team from the Provincial Health Office (PHO), Municipal Health Office (MHO), Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office and barangay tanod has been staging fogging operations in the 18 barangays of the town.

Based on the latest report from MHO, 144 people were afflicted with the disease from July 29 to September 30.

With this, Mayor Jesse Concepcion has declared a disease outbreak in four villages with the highest number of cases: Camaya, Baseco, Malaya, and Sisiman.

The outbreak, raised in the first week of September, is still in effect.

“We are continuously doing search and destroy operations against the breeding sites of mosquitoes. Every barangay undergoes fogging,” said Concepcion.

According to MHO head Danny Velasco, no casualty is recorded due to the disease but they cannot lift yet the outbreak status because many people are still affected though the trend is declining.

Records show that the first week of September accounted for the highest number of Chikungunya cases as 38 people were diagnosed. In the last week, the figures dropped as three people were diagnosed.

“At present, we are doing fogging operations. We have advised all barangays to do search and destroy of mosquito breeding sites in their respective areas with the assistance of our health workers,” said Velasco.

PHO Sanitary Engineer Eugene Ramirez, a member of the team that leads the fogging operations, said all barangays of Mariveles were finished with the fogging but for Brgy. Ipag which will be combed on October 2-3.

Chikungunya is a viral disease that is spread by Aegis aegypti mosquitoes, the same carrier of dengue. It causes fever, severe joint pain, muscle pain, headache, nausea, fatigue, and rash. It is often misdiagnosed as dengue as it shares clinical signs with the deadly disease. Though Chikungunya has no cure, treatment is focused on relieving the symptoms. (CLJD/JMG-PIA 3)

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