MANILA, Philippines - With dengue fever remaining a threat to public health, the Makati City government has ensured that laboratories and diagnostic facilities are ready to accommodate patients and handle dengue cases.

Dr. Ma. Lourdes B. Salud, Makati Health Department (MHD) chief, said the anti-dengue campaign of the city government is complemented by the presence of six satellite laboratories in the barangays, in addition to the diagnostic facilities at City Hall, Ospital ng Makati and its Acute Care Center.

These laboratories have facilitated the early detection of dengue cases among the city’s constituents, since platelet count monitoring in patients is very critical in preventing deaths from dengue, she said.

As a result, Makati City has posted a sharp decrease of 55 percent in its number of dengue cases for the first eight months of the year compared to the same period last year.

In a report, Mayor Jejomar Erwin S. Binay Jr. also noted that there was no death among the reported cases. Last year, there were 11 deaths out of 606 dengue cases in Makati.

The mayor attributed this to the continuous cleanup operations in the barangays and the intensive monitoring and information drive on dengue prevention and control led by the city health officers.

“We are glad that the concerted efforts of various agencies and sectors of the city government, in partnership with the barangays, have yielded positive results showing that our preventive strategy against dengue really works,” Binay said.

From 296 cases in January to August last year, it went down to 132 cases in the same period this year. In August alone, the figures dropped by 61 percent, with 99 cases last year compared to 39 cases this year, officials said.

Salud noted they have maintained their preventive approach to managing the threat of dengue, encouraging residents and other sectors to practice the 4-S strategy being promoted by the Department of Health (DoH). The 4-S stands for Search and destroy, Self-protective measures, Seek early treatment, and Say no to indiscriminate fogging.