Cebu City Health Department to Launch ‘All-Out’ War Against Mosquitoes as Dengue Claims Lives of 2 Kids

The Cebu City Health Department (CHD) will launch an “all-out” war against dengue-carrying mosquitoes on Tuesday as dengue claimed the lives of two children in the city last week.

CHD chief Dr. Daisy Villa said the anti-dengue campaign will involve everyone in the community.

”The elimination of mosquito breeding areas and the eradication of dengue-carrying mosquitoes can’t be done by city and barangay officials alone. The whole community must be involved,” Villa said.

Mary Angeline Petallar, 5, and Rianne Abegail Petallar, 12, of Barangay Suba, Cebu City died Friday, exactly seven days after the onset of fever, and three days after they were admitted to a private hospital.

Their 13-year-old brother is also being monitored after experiencing fever for the past days.

Villa said three children already died of dengue this month alone.

Aileen Petallar, the girls’ mother, said the death of her daughters was very sudden, just three days after they were confirmed to be suffering from dengue fever.

Villa said she and health inspectors of the CHD visited the Petallar residence on Saturday to check their living conditions and determine if there are other possible dengue cases in the area.

They also inspected the girls’ school and their neighborhood to check where the mosquitoes could be breeding.

Mary Angeline was in kindergarten while Rianne Abegail attended Pasil Elementary School.

Villa said the sisters might have acquired the virus in their community due to unsanitary surroundings.

“We saw some areas where mosquitoes may breed,” she said. (PNA) LAP/EB/EDS