QC NEEDS BLOOD DONATIONS FROM MALL-GOERS

The Quezon City health department will be extending to the shopping malls the city’s efforts to encourage more blood donations for patients with dengue fever and other high-risk illnesses.

Coordination with the different malls in QC is now being undertaken to set up blood donation booths at three SM malls in QC --- at North Edsa, Cubao and Fairview--- and also at Trinoma and the Ever Gotesco mall at Commonwealth Avenue, according to city health officer Dr. Antonieta Inumerable.

Institutions and hospitals to benefit from the QC expanded bloodletting drive are the Philippine Blood Center, Lung Center of the Philippines, Phil. Heart Center, St. Luke’s Medical Center, QC General Hospital and the Quirino Memorial Medical Center in Proj. 4, which have registered the most number of confinement for dengue cases.

The city health department regularly conducts mass blood donation activities at the QC Hall and district health centers.

On orders of Mayor Herbert Bautista, the QC health department has been continuously conducting a massive anti-dengue information dissemination campaign in an effort to encourage city residents to participate in efforts to control dengue, which is transmitted by the day-biting Aedes Aegypti mosquitoes.

The information campaign underscores the importance of maintaining cleanliness and sanitation in reducing the number of potential breeding grounds for the dengue-carrying mosquitoes, which usually thrives on stagnant water on old tires, roof gutters, refrigerator drainers and indoor plants.

From August 1 to 20, the epidemiology and surveillance unit of the city health department reported about 3,948 dengue cases, with 29 death cases. This year’s cases registered a 125.2% change in the number of cases as compared with the same period last year.

However, despite the increase, Quezon City only managed to register the ninth highest number of dengue cases among Metro Manila’s 17 cities and municipalities, taking into account its population.

Barangays registering the most number of dengue cases are Bagbag, San Bartolome, Commonwealth, Batasan Hills, Gulod, Holy Spirit, Sauyo, Sta. Monica and Novaliches Proper.

To date, the city health department has declared the areas of Bagbag, San Bartolome, Novaliches Proper, in District II, and Barangays Pansol and Matandang Balara, in District III and Barangay Bahay-Toro, in District I, as dengue hotspots.

In addition, larvitraps were also set up in some barangays to alert the public on the index of mosquitoes. Likewise, an ovilarvicidal traps from the Department of Science and Technology were set up in the dengue hotspots to control the density of the dengue-carrying mosquitoes. Precy/ Ej/ Maureen Quiñones, PAISO