High fuel cost/ Dengue alert / Covid deaths

CITY HALL BEAT

Aileen P. Refuerzo

BAGUIO CITY -- The big difference between fuel prices in Baguio and other localities came into focus anew as Mayor Benjamin Magalong bemoaned the long standing issue he first addressed back in 2019.
    The mayor said a cursory look at the prevailing fuel costs in Baguio, La Union and Quezon City showed a glaring disparity between the prices.
    For instance the cost of Petron XCS, a high-quality premium motor gasoline, is lower by P10.50 in a station in La Union and by almost P15 in a station in Quezon City.
    “It is concerning. What gives?,” he lamented.
    He said he will write to the industry leader and the Energy Regulatory Board to again escalate this concern.
    In Oct. 2019, the mayor sought audience with the executives of the three big industry players and aired the city’s appeal to reduce permanently the price differences.
    Petron Corporation through Assistant Vice President for Corporate Affairs Charmaine Canillas granted the appeal and reduced the cost in the city by P3.
    “We hope that we can again be granted price reduction to help our city in its economic recovery efforts,” the mayor said.
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Mayor Magalong advised residents to be on guard against dengue fever this early as the city experiences intermittent rains especially in the afternoons.
    The mayor said dengue has been a serious health concern as every year, cases rise during rainy seasons experienced from June to October.
    “But as we are now experiencing sporadic rains, we need to observe preventive measures like ridding our surroundings of mosquito breeding places to make sure that dengue-carrying mosquitoes will not thrive,” the mayor said.
    The City Health Services Office has always advised residents on practicing the 4S strategy: Search and Destroy Mosquito Breeding Places; Self –Protection Measures (use window screens, mosquito nets, wear protective clothing, use insect repellents); Seek Early Consultation; and  Say No to Indiscriminate Fogging.
    “Walang dengue kung walang lamok.  Walang lamok kung walang breeding places.  Walang breeding places kung malinis ang kapaligiran.  Ugaliing mag search and destroy at gawin nang sabay-sabay upang siguradong mawalan ng breeding places ang mga dengue-carrying mosquitoes,” Dr. Donnabel Panes, head of the City Epidemiology Surveillance Unit (CESU) of the CHSO advised.
    Engineer Charles Carame of the CHSO Sanitation Division said the CHSO’s dengue strategy follows the Prevent-Detect-Isolate-Treatment-Reintegration (PDITR) model:  
    Prevent through the 4S strategy: Search and destroy; Self-Protection Measures (use window screens, mosquito nets, wear protective clothing, use insect repellents); Seek Early Consultation; and Support Fogging and Spraying when Necessary
    Detect through rapid testing and conduct of larval surveillance where samples of “kiti-kiti” are studied to predict an impending outbreak
    Isolate through a campaign for dengue-infected individuals to protect themselves from being bitten
    Treatment through an aggressive case reporting system and provision of dengue wards and fast lanes in hospitals.
    Reintegration through the sustained conduct of the strategies with the fact that dengue immunity does not cover all strains as a motivation.
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Mayor Magalong also urged residents to update their Covid-19 vaccinations in the light of the increasing infections and deaths in the city.
    "We strongly encourage the public to update their booster shots and to get their primary shots if still unvaccinated.  Please protect yourself and protect others," the mayor said in the wake of reports from the City Health Services Office on the gradual rise in cases reported in the city as well as in the number of fatalities.
    The CHSO under Acting City Health Services Officer Dr. Celia Flor Brillantes said there has been a gradual increase in Covid-19 cases as well as deaths in the past weeks.
    There were five deaths in April, two of whom were unvaccinated, two unboostered and one boostered.
    The mayor also advised the public to religiously wear face masks in crowded indoor settings or avoid crowds altogether.
    "Also, use fist or elbow bumps instead of handshakes when greeting others," he added.